A Dozen Roses
by ForgottenDream12
Summary: The untimely death of Tsuna has brought the Vongola to the brick of destruction. Still love for the Decimo is shown and Aria decides to try and help out by giving them a chance at changing everything. YAOI 1827 and 8059
1. Why?

**First chapter ever! Rated M for later chapters.**

**Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman Reborn and its characters do not belong to me, they belong to Amano Akira**

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><p><em>It's coming and it's approaching quickly<em>…Silent words slithered through the brunet's mind and woke him from his sleep but he didn't open his eyes. What, was coming? Tsuna's body reacted faster than his mind did as a hundred ton hammer came down, with crushing force, towards his head. Sensing danger his gloved hand shot out to catch the oncoming weapon. Chocolate brown eyes opened to stare at his so-called attacker. Reborn gazed back at him, not happy to have his early morning entertainment taken away. "Dame-Tsuna, how dare you prevent him from being amused?" The 24-year-old man tensed as he thought about what he had just done. His ex-tutor was even more harmful than years ago; after all he was now a full-fledged adult and the baby-look-alike wouldn't hold back. The Arcobaleno even came to visit him so he could torture his student, that's why when he didn't try to hit him again he was confused.

"Reborn? Is something wrong?"

Without warning the hammer went down again and Tsuna narrowly avoided it. "Of course there is, Decimo." Hearing Reborn call him that he scooted away from him a bit, when the other called him that he meant business or he was playing with him. Whichever one it was he didn't really feel like doing it this early in the morning. In fact as he looked over at the clock he noticed that it was only four A.M, groaning he fell back onto his orange colored bed. If it was important he would be forced to listen to it. Too bad Reborn's idea of important usually wasn't the same as his own.

"What, can I do for you?"

After Tsuna spoke he thought he would get his answer right away. His ex-tutor wasn't one to beat around the bush. That was if this had been a normal situation. Glancing over he sat up seeing the dark expression on the other's face. "Decimo, your mist guardians have been captured." His ears must be deceiving him, it was near impossible to get a firm hold on the mist guardians. "Yes, that is why it's such an important matter. I assume that Mukuro only contacted me, as you don't know about this. Their captors must have some way of blocking them because in the middle of telling me, he vanished. He had no chance you tell you fools."

Although Tsuna didn't want to believe what Reborn was saying it very well could be true. In some corner of his mind he may have been suspecting this. A week ago the two mists were assigned a mission and left to do it. A mission that wouldn't take more than three days kept them away for a week without a hint of contact. In the days that passed he had covered up his worry with thoughts that Mukuro and Chrome may have stayed behind just to play around. The silence didn't break after the hitman spoke and it irritated the baby. "Well, Dame-Tsuna, what are you going to do?"

Hearing Reborn he turned his head to look at him, "I'll hold a meeting." Whoever could capture Mukuro was a fearsome foe indeed. There was no way he could let his guardians walk into that blind. Not if the terrifying Mukuro was taken and also with so few people left. Excluding his mist guardians he was still missing one. While Tsuna thought about the situation he climbed out of bed and went to get dressed. Opening the gold-rimmed closet doors he took out the nearest suit that he was forced to wear. He recalled his ex-tutor taking out all his clothes that he deemed un-suitable for a boss to wear. He had a nice bonfire with them. The few that he was able to save were safely hidden away.

In the room Tsuna had his own private bathroom as all his guardians did. That was where he was heading now to change. When he went in there was a tiny bit of a shiver as his bare feet hit the cold tile floor. He had forgotten his slippers inside his room but didn't bother to go get them. A few minutes later he left the washroom straightening his tie. Slipping on his shoes he exited his room after grabbing a cane that was propped up against the wall. Oh no, that wasn't for his leg but for something else

The first guardian's room that he passed was Gokudera's. Knocking on it he told his right-hand man, "Come down to the conference room, we'll be having a meeting." He turned to go but spotted Yamamoto's room across from Gokudera's. He knew that the baseball player wouldn't be found in his room so he didn't bother trying to knock. "One more thing…tell Yamamoto that for me, please." As he proceeded down the hall he could hear a loud noise and assumed it was his friend getting kicked off the bed since there had been a short laugh after the noise. Then the shouting started.

The next room Tsuna came across was the reason he brought the cane. It was their youngest member's room, Lambo, who happened to have a problem waking up. Knocking, he told his thunder guardian the same thing he told Gokudera but unlike before there was no sound of life behind the door. Sighing he took out the cane and placed the end around the handle. Pulling hard he expected the handle to fly off like it always had but it seemed the boy had gotten smart. The handle wouldn't budge, so he couldn't put his fingers in the hole and pull the door open. With an odd look on his face he walked down to his sun guardian's room.

Lambo held in his laugh at hearing his boss's plan fail. There was no way he was going anywhere this early. In fact he wouldn't be awake if it wasn't for Gokudera's yelling. Since the last time Tsuna had played this move on him he had reinforced the handle. Now he couldn't get his hand inside the door. Unless he wanted to burn down the house his boss's strength would not be able to break down the door. Hearing another knock he rolled over smiling, yet it was wiped off fast as his only protection went down with a 'BANG.' Sitting up quickly he gawked at the vision of Ryohei standing there with his back being patted by a smirking brunet.

Leaving Lambo in Ryohei's hands Tsuna went on his way to the conference room. Out of habit his legs took the long route to his destination. He stopped at the door to his cloud guardian's room that was quite a ways away from the other's rooms. Placing his hand against the door he smiled, "He would have loved to fight such a high-class enemy…Too bad he's on a mission." Around the same time he sent his mist guardians on their mission he sent his cloud on a longer one. Two days from now should be his return date. A light blush colored his cheeks as he thought about the last time he was at this spot. Hibari pulled him inside and he didn't leave until the early morning, which had met several types of protests from the dark haired man.

Shaking his head Tsuna rushed off to join the others in the conference room. When he arrived he pushed open the doors only to be met with the sight of Reborn. That wouldn't be so bad if he hadn't been telling his friends what to do. "…now let's vote on if we'll try to save the pineapple. Tsuna take charge of this." Even if he didn't want to admit that he was right to question the saving of their comrade but he was. He hoped not to have to force his guardians to do such a task.

Sitting in his chair at the head of the table Tsuna revised Reborn's words, "Do you want to save our mist guardian?"

"Tenth doesn't need to rescue that guy."

"Haha, let's do it Tsuna."

"Let's save him to the extreme!"

"No, I have always found him creepy."

Not one of their responses surprised him, but he sighed anyway. He at least wanted there to be more people fine with doing it then not. Yet they had landed on a tie. Then it hit him, "It's not just Mukuro. Chrome has been taken as well."

There was silence for a second and Gokudera made a sound in the back of his throat. "Doesn't make a difference. Tenth shouldn't need to worry over them."

After he said that Lambo stood and started to walk to the door. All eyes were on him but no one made a move to stop him. Right before he opened the door he turned to look at them. "What are you waiting for? The ties been broken." Smiling Tsuna stood and joined him by the door.

"If Tenth is going then so am I." Gokudera's words had everyone filing towards the exit. It didn't take long for all five of them to gather at the entrance not knowing where to go. For Tsuna this was the first time he tried something without planning. That left him standing in front his guardians with a confused look on his face. Where were his mists being held? Back in his old 'Dame-Tsuna' mode he didn't see or hear Reborn coming at him with a flying kick. The baby's foot connected with his head and the 24 year old went tumbling to the ground. After he fell he felt a piece of paper being thrust into his hand.

"That is the general area in which you'll find them." Staying in his place on the floor Tsuna lifted his hand and unfolded the paper, it was close by. It was a rare, almost an impossible, occurrence for his ex-tutor to help out. It was so rare that it was suspicious. Eyeing the sadist he couldn't help but wonder if by doing what he said they would fall right into one of Reborn's schemes. "Don't give me that look Dame-Tsuna. I'm also worried about what kind of person would go against Vongola."

Getting up Tsuna dusted himself off while sighing. "I know. You're not that evil, Reborn." _Maybe…_He turned to the group behind him a wiggled the paper between his fingers. "I guess we'll be heading here." He gave the paper to Gokudera and walked off, letting him announce that the place was close.

A couple of hours later Tsuna, who had been walking this whole time stopped and leaned against a nearby tree to rest. It hadn't taken them long to get to the area Reborn suggested yet he should have known it wouldn't be that easy. After all it never was with the Vongola. Gokudera and Yamamoto were searching the northern part of the town, which happened to be like a forest, with him. He thought it would be best to give the more populated area to Ryohei and Lambo. They were less likely to draw attention that was unneeded. Men with dynamite and swords would cause quite a scare. That's why he wasn't really expecting to find his missing member here but it stilled worried him when he didn't feel even a pulse of energy. He moved his head a little to look at his cellphone. Ryohei also didn't sense any use of illusions or mist flames. Sighing he chose to sit down for a moment.

The minute Tsuna sat down Gokudera was by his side, fretting over his sudden exhaustion. "Ah, don't worry Hayato. I think he just walked too much." The baseball player stretched his long arms. "Mm, thinking about it my legs are tried to."

"Damn baseball-idiot! I don't care if you're tried. Only the Tenth matters." The silver haired man may have mellowed out over the years but Yamamoto never failed to rile him up.

While the two started another of their signature meaningless arguments' Tsuna felt his phone vibrate. Reaching for the moving object he flipped it open but before he could say anything the person on the other end yelled into his ear, "Sawada! We need help over here. The enemies have found us." Ryohei had surpassed his own record of loudness but what really amazed him was who he could hear in the background. Lambo's screams were volumes above his sun guardian's voice.

The Vongola decided to ignore the terrified sounds as best he could. "We'll be right there." Closing the phone Tsuna stood up in a hurry and glanced at Gokudera and Yamamoto who had stopped their form of chatting. "Oni-," Before he could finish his right hand man put up his arms in an X shape. The brunette nodded in understanding. They must have heard the loud voice through the phone. Pulling out their weapons the group of three dashed off to help their comrades. "Hurry!"

Through the years of torture from Reborn's intense training Tsuna could say with confidence that he was fit. Enough so that he could dodge a bullet at a seconds notice but the other two men were built better. That resulted in the tiny 24-year old mafia boss taking the rear in this run. There was never a reason to complain about this before but he truly wanted to when he felt his small nose smash into Yamamoto's back. The rain and storm stopped in their tracks at the sight of Ryohei caught by a net upside down in a tree. His Vongola gear was activated and he was tearing at the strings that wouldn't break. Lambo's was laying on the ground with his helmet on and groaned in pain.

In the middle of the mess stood a man, he seemed ordinary enough expect for a rather large remote in his hand. Immediately knowing the man was the cause of his friend's predicament Tsuna nearly growled out, "How dare you?" The brunette charged at him not yet in hyper dying will mode. Out of nowhere several other men came out and went for his guardians.

Their separate fights started with little time to get used to the situation. Body parts connected and disconnected with each other. Wounds formed when one couldn't block an attack in time. Bombs went off and sword met with sword as weapons were drawn. A hard kick soon sent Tsuna grappling for his dying will pills. To pull his flame out without the help of the pills would be possible but hard. It took energy and should only be used for a short lived fight else the flame would disappear. Although he got a good hold of the bottle the man went for it and knocked it out of his hand. Instinct kicking in the smaller of the two brought out his fist for it only to be caught.

After a while the man's hands let go of his but went straight for his neck. The strangling began and his guardians tried to push through the growing group of people to get to their boss. Gokudera's dynamite didn't even reach him when it was thrown. Usually it would have but he was throwing it at an angle so he could not hurt his boss. Tsuna was losing awareness from the deprivation of oxygen. His lungs felt like they were going to explode along with the bombs. His consciousness was going weak and he saw the world grow dimmer. The psychopathic smile on the man's was what kept him from giving in to the pressure.

Making a choking noise in the back of his throat the brunette grabbed onto his attackers arms. Yanking did nothing but he left his hands there. Distracted by the other's actions the man didn't notice as a leg was swung sideways and slammed into his knee cap. In surprise he went along with the force that was pulling on his arms. With the appendages removed air filled the younger man's lungs and he grew annoyed. The brat was really asking for it.

There was no waiting for Tsuna as he lunged for the pills on the ground. Undoing the top he placed one in his mouth and swallowed. A beautiful flame lit atop his head and his eyes grew calmer, colder. In that moment his guardians realized he could fight for himself and with reluctance went back to bashing the lackey's.

With renewed vigor the mafia don went for the man again. The fist battle didn't last long, the man wouldn't let it. He drew a line at having a possible broken nose and a few ribs. This he knew was the Vongola's true strength. Smirking, the man eyed the remote that was back in his hands. That strength wouldn't be able to stop this machine. All he had to do was wait and the boy would bring his own downfall. The man didn't have to wait for long as he soon got what he wanted.

Tsuna flew backwards with the use of his flames and decided to end this now. They were in a fairly buildingless area and there was no one to get caught in the crossfire. Putting one arm in front of him he put his other behind him. "X-burner." The contacts did their job as it showed him the power level of his attack. The man on the ground looked up at his with an odd expression on his face. Intuition prickling he felt that his attack wouldn't land. Brushing it off he let his flame loose.

The huge amount of fire was aimed perfectly at the man and was going towards him at the speed of light. A button on the machine was clicked and the flames that should have hit him went into the large remote. It took a minute for him to comprehend what actually happened. In that timeframe another button was pressed and a small amount of his flames left the machine and came after him. Taking the stance of zero point breakthrough first edition Tsuna tried to stop his own attack from injuring him. This always worked before in freezing things but yet now it chooses not to work. He barely had time to dodge the still active flame and the proof of that was the burn marks on his fingertips.

The burn tingled but didn't leave an excruciating pain like other wounds had caused him in the pasted. Ignoring the tickle he wondered how the man stopped the freezing. Were his own flames unable to freeze? No it shouldn't be that, sky flames could be frozen. While his thoughts grew wild his attention was draw to the remote. If it could store flames like that it was probably the cause of their strange behavior. Suddenly he felt a small portion of heat coursed pasted him. This whole time he hadn't moved a muscle letting him stay an open target in the sky. "Hey, let me go you filthy bastard!" That was Gokudera's voice and he didn't sound pleased. Looking over he saw what was happening.

The silver-haired male had drawn his bow and was aiming it in general direction of the man with the remote. He was in the mist of locking onto the man when he was jumped on from behind. Quite literally actually as a boy probably no more than sixteen was climbing all over him. Once he was thrown off, more people came to take his place. They were grasping at his collar trying to keep the storm in place.

Gokudera threw them off one by one but they kept coming. In one moment of throwing a rather heavy individual off he caught sight of Yamamoto. The baseball player was having the same trouble but he was much less vocal about it.

Tsuna found it strange, it seemed like the men were trying to stop their movement. If that was their plan then it was definitely working, his guardians could hardly move at all and when they did there was always more people to keep them in place for a while. "Hey, Vongola Decimo." While watching his friends he made sure to have on eye on this man but until just now he watched along with him. "Your guardians are about to be burnt to a crisp."

The remote was raised and two buttons were pressed. The one that had previously let out his stored sky flames and another that he found released storm waves. The combination was horrid as it now possessed the power to hurt his companions more. It was a split second decision he made as the flames went rushing towards all four of his guardians. The ball of fire was massive and could hit the widely spread group. Not only would it take his comrades out but also the man's. He knew the attack couldn't be stopped but he dashed in front of them anyway. The results were almost as expected. The flames didn't stop but they didn't reach his friends either.

Tsuna felt the pain for only a instant as the whole fiery mass was sucked into his body. He wasn't absorbing the rays of flames they were killing him. Blood dripped from his closed mouth and splattered over the ground. Even his eyes bled from the attack. His reaction isn't normal for fire and he knew that. What was really hitting him and attacking him from the inside had to be something else. While his thoughts progressed the pressure on his heart increased and the number of beats doubled. Yet he stood his ground so he could have the whole attack hit him and not his guardians. Finally, when the last drop of the flame was pushed into him he felt his heart explode.

Bodying going limp Tsuna went flying towards the river. When gravity decided to take him he landed on the rocks that protruded from the water. Head hitting against a large stone his legs fell into the gently moving liquid.

"Tenth!" Punching one of the guys that had held him Gokudera ran to go help his boss. Realizing half-way there that no one was stopping him but he didn't notice the man hit another button and point the remote towards the river. Yamamoto not far behind him sped up to caught up with him. Running too fast to stop his thighs hit against the medal railing as he grabbed it to jump over. Hands found his wrist to prevent him from doing so. He growled at the baseball idiot. Turning so he could look at his lover he nearly snarled, "I'm going to help Tenth. Let go."

Arms went around Gokudera's waist after his wrist was let go. "No." That one word whispered into his ear made him struggle against the hold on him. "Hayato, take a good look at the river." Looking down he wanted to gasp as he clearly saw that the water was a sickly green color. Fish that minutes before were swimming peacefully now floated at the surface. Some even twitching from the contaminated water. After seeing that he raised his eyes to look at Tsuna. The mafia boss's shirt was covered in blood. His face especially stained by the substance. "It's too late." Feeling his waist being released he jerked forward a bit, but the hands came back to cover his eyes. "There's no need for you to see more."

Even as the rain guardian tried to comfort him an animalistic roar ripped from his mouth and he tour the hand off of his eyes. Turning he charged at the man who had started this. His feet flew across the ground at a speed he never thought was humanly possible. He leaned forward with an arm out stretched to grab hold of the man but a button was pressed again and he disappeared along with his lackeys. In his place tied up and gagged were Mukuro and Chrome. All the adrenaline left his system and he wobbled on his feet. Head raised he shouted to the sky, "Why?"

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><p><strong>Ah, poor Tsuna! More chapters to come. Reviews make my fingers move faster, that means more updates.<strong>


	2. Tears

**Thank you for the wonderful reviews! They made me awfully happy. This chapter may have a few mistakes here and there; I was too lazy to really check.**

**Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman Reborn does not belong to me…**

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><p>A silver-haired man stood over a grave with a pink rose in his hand. Setting it down he collapsed into a bow on the ground. "Tenth." His voice was soft, not like his usual tone. "Sorry…I couldn't protect you." The funeral had taken place just a few hours before and not once did he cry. The only thing he could do to present himself as a good right-hand man was to keep his composure. Now when he was alone he vented his bent up tears. Sobs that he tried to hold in nearly choked him to death, so he had to let the sounds out. In that bowing position, with his forehead to the grassy floor, he stayed by the grave for hours.<p>

The tears never stopped flowing but when it began to rain Gokudera barely noticed his own crying. The two liquids spread across his face and he felt a tug on his arm. Ignoring it only led it to a full blown yank. It disrupted his balance and he fell onto his side. Livid, he growled up at the person who had the audacity to disturb him so. His green eyes met brown ones and he quieted down. "How long have you been here baseball idiot?" There was no answer as the rain helped the storm part of the way up from the ground. Both of them were getting more soaked as they stood there but neither moved. The expression on Yamamoto's face wasn't dulled by the rain at all. It was one that wasn't seen often. Sadness lined his face and his lips were placed in a firm downcast position.

"Hayato, don't do this. Tsuna wouldn't want you to act like this."

"How, am I acting? Crazy?" He shook off the hand that was on his shoulder and refused to be helped the rest of the way up. "You don't seem to understand what's going on. The tenth is dead. He died right in front of my eyes and I couldn't do a thing." His words were laced with venom as he shouted them out at Yamamoto. "Don't you see that this isn't a game? It never was. Not before and definitely not now." The rain guardian only stood there as Gokudera pushed him away from him. "Mafia is about death. Anyone in this kind of business can die at any time." Rubbing the tears that remained off his face, he glared at his lover. "The next one to die could be you or me. Do you still want to play this 'game'? Want to stay beside me knowing the risks?"

At this point Gokudera was just rambling and Yamamoto knew this. Catching him unaware he wrapped his fingers around the storm guardian's seemingly delicate wrist. There was proof of all over his body that those wrists could pack a powerful punch, so he didn't feel like leaving them loose. Bringing his face closer to the other's he spoke in a painful voice, "I understand perfectly. I was there to." His tone grew rough but he continued, "Like you I couldn't protect him."

Gokudera's tension lessened some and in result his wrist was let free. Making a 'tch' sound he pushed pasted the other man and walked away from the grave. Watching the shorter man's retreating back he leaned down and gently set a yellow rose down on his friend's grave. "Rest in peace, Tsuna. Rest in peace…" Running a hand through his short black hair he dashed to catch up with his boyfriend. Slinging an arm over the sliver-haired man's shoulder he was met with no response. That was his way of accepting the touch. Over the years he had learned what every word and action that his lover made meant. "Hayato, I'm hungry."

His comment only received silence in acknowledgement, until a minute or two later there was a gruff reply. "We'll go to a sushi restaurant then." Ah, and that was his way of saying that he was sorry.

Grinning, Yamamoto bent down to kiss his check. "I love you, Honey." He didn't know whether it was his actions or words that made the other angry enough to hit him rather hard upon the skull. "That really hurt, Hayato."

Weeks later a figure moved about the dark and a tell-tale sliver weapon flashed in the night. After jumping down from a tree he landed by the grave he was seeking. Putting his bloodied tonfas back in their box he knelt down by the grave. Clearing off the leaves he stared down at the name plate that read 'Tsunayoshi Sawada'. His lover, his boss, a man who could put up a good fight was laying in a casket underneath that headstone.

The day he returned from his mission, one night earlier than planned, people were rushing about the mansion in panic. All those weeks ago he stopped someone to question interrogate him and he was told that the Decimo died. Dragging the butler around, he purposing sought after the herbivores so they could deny this. The first one he found was the wandering Lambo. The kid had burst out in tears and fell to the floor, trying to explain through his crying about what had happened. Hearing what the cow teenager had to say he didn't take the news well. Everyone within twenty meters of him at the time were bitten to death, including the cow. The day he got back was the day he set off for another mission, a self-assigned one, which was to kill Tsuna's murderer. It had been his own decision so there hadn't been a need to tell anyone. That was what he thought at the time. Now if he could be the kind of man who regretted his choices he would have.

After he left the panic within the Vongola increased. Gokudera could only keep things together so long before they fell apart. There was no head in place and there wasn't an heir to take over. At the rate things were going at the strongest mafia family would be ruined by its own rules of not taking someone who doesn't share the blood of Vongola.

Yet at this moment none of that mattered for the cloud. A little while ago he had returned unsuccessful in his search for Tsuna's murderer and only because it was an important day. Reaching into his pocket he took out the rose that was settled there. On the right side of the grave there was a cluster of different colored roses. He knew the flowers were put there by the other guardians. Showing his personality, he set his lavender rose on the left, away from the others. "Stupid herbivore. You should have died by my hands."

Glaring at the stone silently, Hibari stood and dusted off his knees. He checked his watch and then glanced at the grave. It would hit midnight in a few minutes so he spoke the words he came to say now, "Happy birthday, Herbivore." With that he walked away his head held high even as the emotion of sadness filled his chest. Didn't someone say that once the first birthday pasted it would be easier? Taking another look at his watch, and seeing that he was passed midnight, he decided to bite to death whichever herbivore had said those words.

With one figure of the night gone another came to stand beside the headstone. The woman leaned down and took hold of all the roses. When she was done counting them her voice broke the silence of the night. "A dozen roses." There was one from each of the guardians. Then there were two from the boy's parents. One from Reborn, one from Bianchi, and one from the bucking horse. "You're lucky Tsuna. It's been awhile since any of the Vongola leaders got more than nine flowers. I wonder how long it will last." From experience she could only guess that it wouldn't last that long. Maybe a month or two at most.

Contrary to Aria's thoughts at the end of each month for the next six months, twelve roses were placed on the Decimo's grave. It went on like that until one day no roses appeared. Giving them the benefit of the doubt she waited a week for the flowers to appear. Life could get busy, especially in the guardians line of work. Yet even after the week and a few days passed nothing showed up. The only thing she could guess was that Tsuna's friends had forgotten completely about their monthly visits. Forgotten about him. Sighing, she picked herself up from the ground and started on her way home from her daily visits to the grave.

Back in the Vongola mansion, Gokudera moved through the halls quickly with an underlining right on his heels. "Wait, you forgot to take this!" Stopping the man turned to take the report from the other's hands. Clenching the piece of paper in his hand he stormed off in a hurry to get a hold of everyone. In the past week all seven of the guardians had been holed up inside arguing about the threat of an invasion. They noticed the threat when another family was slowly but surely walking into their territory. Each time several of the lover ranks were killed off. The depth of the intrusion got bigger every time it happened. Casualties grew and the stronger ranks got taken care of with ease.

Surprisingly in the past days nothing dramatic happened but they, so unlike the normal Vongola, were still tiptoeing around. Gokudera, earlier that very day, had thrown a fit that it was over and that they could go to the tenth's resting place. Reborn met his tantrum with a deal. If nothing happened in the next three days then he could do what he wanted. Not even half a day later he was handed this report. Spies that were sent out came back with priceless information, the plan of the opposing family.

Gokudera's feet picked up their pace when he heard voices coming from the conference room. The plans the spies found out could only be described as despicable. It went all the way back to the Tenth's death! Their leader wanted to become the Vongola boss, which normally should be impossible. Yet the bastard came up with a way to do it. Killing Tsuna left them with no heir so just from that the group could be destroyed. That was stage one of plan that failed when the guardians lived through the attack, meant to kill both them and their boss. The brunette stopped that by enduring immense pain and taking the hit, not backing down even when it reached intolerable levels.

Once they were dead the lackeys had planned to take a DNA sample from Tsuna. The chickens ran off when the guardians survived. The remote that Gokudera had seen shoot out flames did a lot more than just that. The sample that was supposed to be taken would have, with the help of that device, been merged with that man. The process was sketchy but the report stated that later the ring would accept him as being of Vongola blood. All in all to sum it up the Decimo's grave was about to be disturbed, the invasion force would reach the cemetery that day.

Finally reaching the room he was going for Gokudera pushed the door open and slammed the paper on the table, "Get off your lazy asses. We got some business to take care of."

Aria watched bombs going off in the distance from her perch in the tree Hibari once was in. On her way home something told her to stay. Like it was telling her everything was about to crash down on the Vongola. Waiting there made her hear the sounds from the ongoing battle. If this is what her intuition wanted her to watch then she would, even if it hurt to hear the noises of people dying. Explosions continued to go off and she used that as her reassurance that at least one of the guardians was still alive and kicking.

Soon, almost like in a horror movie, Aria no longer heard those sounds. In the past she would have automatically thought that the Vongola won but now it was different. Anxiety filled her to the care as the silence deepened. Then suddenly a dark-haired man came into view. He wasn't limping but his footfalls were uneven. Maybe he was too proud to show weakness.

Hibari didn't stop until he was right in front of the headstone. Reaching into his suit jacket he brought out wrinkled, blood covered roses. "The herbivores wanted me to deliver these to you. They died." Aria's eyes widened slightly. The blood on the roses spoke volumes but could they have really died?

"Don't kill us off by your own accord you bastard!" Gokudera growled when the bird freak was within his shouting range. His face was scratched up and the arm he held his bow with was injured. The other guardians stood behind him all of them looking like they were in pain. The smirk on the cloud's lips told him that he knew they had been alive.

Running footsteps reached their rears and Hibari switched his gaze towards the sound. A young man appeared from behind the guardians, who immediately turned and watched the man, should he be a threat. Gokudera pulled out his dynamite and glared at Hibari. "Damn, Skylark help us protect the tenth's grave."

Tonfas were out and ready even before he agreed, "I'll bite them to death."

"To the death then." It was Lambo who spoke in a monotone voice. He certainly didn't want to die but he knew that his silent wish to live couldn't come true. After all he was sure about what would occur as they protected Tsuna-nii's resting place. The location wasn't in their favor. To win they needed to be able to move around freely. That would not happen because if they moved the grave would be an open target. No longer could they take a step back. The battle began with the feeling of dread looming over them.

The sky Arcobaleno reviewed the scene before her with horror. Smoke filled the area and made it hard for her to see but it didn't stop her sight completely. Corpses lay on the ground as if they were just trash, in which she knew they really should be considered that. Xanxus would agree with her wholehearted but that could be the result of him calling everyone that. The smoke began to clear and she watched where she stepped carefully, not wanting to disregard the shells of people left on this earth. Franticly, she searched for the guardians within the battle field.

When Aria finally found them the first thing that caught her eye was their new injures. Ones that was possibly fatal. She rushed forward to check on them, her hear beating fast as she did so. All of them were somehow or other propped up against Tsuna's headstone, protecting him even in the state they were in. Hands fussing over them she made sure that each of them had a pulse. With relief she realized they did, although it was weak. In her movemnets of checking their pulses she noticed the roses Hibari had set on the ground. She stared at them but slowly, after turning her face skyward, she crushed them the rest of the way within her hand.

"I have watched you, Decimo. Seen the If's that led you to this future." She gulped and held her breath with her next words. What she was about to do could make things worse than they already were. Her pacific glowed and she stood. "I'll give each of you a new life. If you can find the mistakes you made this future will be fixed." The glow brightened as she lifted her hand to cup the floating pacific. "When all the Vongola ring wearers are gathered you'll regain your memories of this life."

A snarl interrupted the process and Arai looked behind her. A man stood there with a remote in hand. "Like I'll let you do that." She tried to burn her flames faster as the man pulled out a gun. With a glare he shot the weapon and the bullet came rushing towards her. It hit her shoulder but she didn't stop the burning of her flames. The last of the sky flames were leaving her and she saw that man raise his remote. Right as the last licks of dying will left her a button was pressed. Even as she disappeared leaving her clothes behind, she felt the impact of whatever came out hit the flames, distorting what she painstakingly put together.

"Sorry, Tsuna."

A certain brunette's eyes flashed open as he felt a weight lift off of him. Looking down he saw shackles on the floor next to his feet. That was what had been tying him down, connecting him to this life. _Rebirth, _was the word that ran though his mind in that moment. "Tsunayoshi." Hearing his name he jumped in surprise and took a look around him. He was incased in complete darkness and the voice called out for him again, "Sawada Tsunayoshi." A light appeared nearby and he stared at it as Arai formed beside the light. She looked slightly darker than he remembered her but it surely couldn't be anyone else. "Time will move back for you on the count of three."

"Huh? Wait a second!" What did she mean by that? The last thing he actually remembered was the pain that he went through. Where was he now and what was happening?

"One."

The voice she spoke with made him flinch with how cold it was. "Can't we talk about what's going on?" An hourglass formed in her hands so he took that as a _no._

"Two." He tried to stand up but something new and more evil held him in place. "Three." The hourglass was flipped over and the stand started to spill into the other end. "Rewind."

Tsuna felt the air move and shape around him as he fell into 'time.' The only sound he could let out was an, "Hiiie!"

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><p><strong>I'm hoping to get another chapter out for Christmas and maybe even one for the new year. I have no idea if that will actually happen. The next chapter is when everything really begins.<strong>


	3. Found

**Warnings: Child abuse!**

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><p>A six year-old boy didn't move from his fetal position even as raw hunger gnawed at his stomach. He only pressed his knees tighter to his chest. How long had it been since he last savored the taste of food? His young mind lost count of the days as it grew hazy. It felt as if he were living through a fog. The food his mother hid in the room for him was gone now. After he finished it off he watched as the sun raised and fell again and again in the sky.<p>

The only thing the boy could by happy about was the bucket by the open window. Rain, drop by drop, went into the bucket at times and kept him from dehydration. In the days that went by the sounds he heard consisted of what reached his ears through the bared off window. Those noises that used to calm him made him feel lonely. What was there to continue fighting for when the felt so alone? His mother's face came to mind and he tried to force his weakened body onto his feet.

Stumbling to the door that separated him from the world he hit this tiny fist against it. "Papa! Mama! Are you out there? Can I come out now?" He couldn't even recall what he had done to make his father angry. There was always a cause, something that rubbed his dad the wrong way. It could be as simple as having clumsily fallen, to breaking something within the house. No matter what he did it was always the same punishment. Locked in a room with nothing to eat, he should have at least been used to this by now.

His little fist didn't let up as he tried to hit the door harder. Suddenly he heard feet stomping through the house and knew it was his father. The footsteps were coming closer so he backed away from the door, not wanting to be hit by it. The move had been just in time as once he scurried back, it slammed open and hit against the wall.

"Tsunayoshi…" The tone couldn't be any softer or gentler which made the boy look up. He regretted it when he noticed the cold expression on the other's face. Even as his dad pushed him into the 'punishment room' his expression was never that cold. The kind of cold that sent shivers down the child's spine. Gulping he retreated from the man that smelt of alcohol until his head hit the wall. "Ya look sooo much like ya ma."

At the mention of his mother Tsuna perked up a little. "Papa, when is Mama gonna be home?" Normally once his mother was brought up his father's eyes would soften, yet now they grew harder. Knowing what that meant he braced himself for the on slaughter of pain. It didn't come right away but it soon would, he was sure of that. A hand shot out and jerked the boy's head up by his hair.

Little hands clawed at the tattooed arm that held him in place. "Ya ma ain't coming back, Tsunayoshi. Ran off with some man, left ya here for me to take care of." The voice that spoke roughly into his ear wasn't as drunk sounding as it was before. Finally his father seemed to realize the pain in his arm that his son inflicted onto him. He let him go and rubbed the scratch marks on his skin. "Ya brat!" His other hand came around and dealt a blow to the six-year olds face.

Tsuna's body crashed onto the floor and he held his cheek. The small pain there was nothing compared to what he was going to feel next. A booted foot smashed against his stomach and he wanted to cry out, yet he knew that he shouldn't. Showing the pain only made his father hit him harder. Once again his ribcage was hit and he flinched away from the attacks that didn't stop coming. When his father decided he was finished he exited the room leaving the limp form of his son behind.

Even if he could have moved it was better to stay in the 'punishment room' for a few minutes, else his father would change his mind and lock the door again. The hunger from before hurt his stomach less than the punches and kicks it just had to endure. Suddenly the urge to vomit had him rolling onto his side. He could only dry-heave as something that wasn't in his system couldn't come out. Laying back down he closed his eyes and wished for the pain to disappear. It didn't and he could understand why even at his age. This was reality for him and nothing could change that. He feared his father and worried about what he would do next to him but he did love him. He never really wanted to harm his son; it was his own fault for needing to be punished. The man was just trying hard to make him less worthless.

The next couple of days were free from incident and no more bruises were added to Tsuna's pale skin. There was no need to put more clothes over himself at the rare times he ventured from home. His usual attire covered most of the marks that marred his body. The outfit of a long-sleeved shirt and trousers were the only thing he ever wore since the first time he suffered at his father's anger. It hadn't been this bad back then cause he was only testing the waters. Seeing how far he needed to go to improve his child.

The first thing the man did to deal Tsuna deliberate pain was invent new ways to use his cigarettes. The pressure of the lit tip hadn't hurt at first. A tinge at most but it grew into pain as the pressure became harder and burned him. The marks were still there today, three or four of them perched atop his hip. They were in a place that no one but family should be seeing at his age. It was done purposefully so that there wouldn't be anyone to know about what happened inside the household.

Light hunger still haunted him at times, but this wasn't because of neglect. His family, ever since he could remember, had been poor and ate little. Any type of food was a luxury but it became even more so once his mother left. She had been the main source of income, making things by hand and selling them. His father never seemed to see the need to get a job with her around. Now needing to feed his son and himself, with no employment put stress on him. He didn't even have the energy to get angry anymore.

Tsuna found that out when he dropped a glass he had been drinking out of previously. The silence that accepted his mistake paranoid the boy to the point where he actually wanted to be yelled at, screamed at, _acknowledged_. Then a quiet mutter escaped his father's mouth, "Clean it up, quickly." He stood up to do as told and search for something he could clean up the broken glass with. Yet he only took two steps before he was stopped, "Pick it up with ya hands. I said quickly, didn't I?"

Seeing that his father was right, the brunette went onto his knees to pick up the broken pieces. He tried to be careful no wanting to get cut and be yelled at for bleeding onto the floor. Surprisingly, his dad was being unusually nice. He was sure that if the man felt like it he would have smashed the boy's face against the jagged glass. With his head in the clouds he didn't notice his father's stare that hadn't left him yet. While picking up a particularsmall piece a larger one scrap his hand. He ignored it but it happened quite a few times until his hands were littered with the thin cuts.

Tsuna's index finger was bleeding profoundly so he stuck it in his mouth, sucking on the digit slowly and gently. After the small massacre that his hands went through he didn't want to bring more pain onto himself. Mind wandering he thought about what his father would do to him if he let even one drop of blood hit the floor. The sucking became harder, with a few licks added in to the other sliced skin. His father watching him still went unnoticed until the man realized what he was thinking about. Slamming his hands onto the table he pointed at his son. "Ya are stinking whore, that's what ya are!" Unlike normal after his odd outburst the man went away, not attacking the boy.

The next day when the six-year old woke up there wasn't anyone home. Snow was piled ruthlessly up outside but the weather seemed nice enough so he decided to go out and look around the area. He knew from past experiences to not stray too far from the house and not to stay too close. His father said that if people could see him and the building at the same time then he was too close. His presence 'tainted' the how the house looked and shouldn't be seen near it.

Tsuna couldn't be more happy than when he was playing in the snow by himself. The kids in town were mean to him on the rare occasion that he did come out. They called him names and sometimes added more busies to his already battered body. He used to think they were just playing around and not meaning to hurt him with their words and actions. When he heard the other children running towards where he was he started to get up to go back to his home. He hadn't even stood up halfway when they already reached him. The leader of the kids that bullied him took a step forward and he knew this couldn't end peacefully.

"Hey, useless Tsunayoshi! Your presence id dirtying the air around here, stop breathing." In the old days he had taken it as a joke and would hold his breath as best he could. These were the people he used to view as friends but he knew the truth now. A year or so back he went out to play and overheard the large group talking among themselves. The leader, who he had thought to be the closest to him, cleanly stated that, 'that guy is the fool of all fools." There wasn't much of a chance to come out again after that so he didn't see him since then.

Tsuna didn't even try to hold his breath now and just stood there, a tiny pout on his lips. The first one to comment on this happened to be a boy probably a little older than the brunette, "He ain't doing it. This guy gots some guts." He wouldn't say anything to that but the glint in the leader's eyes made him back up a bit. A single hand motion from the older boy and the one who had spoken backed him up against a tree. "Ralf wants ya to do it so ya better do it."

His body still hurt from the beating a few days ago so he could only weakly struggle, trying the whole time not to have the other hit the bruised parts of him. Although his attempts at escaping were on a lower level than weak, more came to help hold him to the tree. With the crowd around him his hair was yanked upon several times and a few smacked him a crossed the face. That hurt the most because his head was still smarting from having been hit in the temple by his father.

The leader pushed the crowd away at one point and grabbed Tsuna by his shirt. Pulling his face close to his own he growled loudly, "When I say hold your breath hold it." He still didn't comply and hands went around his neck to do the task for him. The air he needed couldn't reach his lungs and his vision grew blurry. Normally he would have done something against this is act of violence but the feeling felt familiar. Like it happened to him before and that had him leaning into the hands that were strangling him. He wanted to go back to when he first had this done to him. Yet he couldn't remember when or why it happened. His father didn't do this.

"Ya brats!" The shout from Tsuna's father had all the boys running for their respective homes. They knew for a fact that he wasn't someone to get near. Their parents told them that often and it was the one rule they never forgot. They left the brunette there, staggering forward, holding his neck tightly. He wondered about what just happened and didn't hear his father approaching. The next thing he knew he was being pulled towards the house. Suddenly his dad let go of him but he swiftly turned to slam his fist onto his son's head. It wasn't a light hit and it left him dizzy. "Ya really are a slut." The boy still couldn't understand the meaning of that word. Lately he heard his father muttering that word to himself, calling his mother that.

Tsuna whimpered once he felt the cold go into his clothes. He shivered rubbing his upper arms, "Papa, it's chilly out here." He raised brown eyes to look at his father, "Can we go inside?"

"Cold?" The expression that suddenly came onto the man's face frightened the child immensely. He was once again being dragged but this time they made it to the warmth of the house. The tension left Tsuna and he gave a tiny smile but it didn't last long. His dad brought him over to the fireplace and shoved him down onto his knees. The six-year old didn't question his father and only kept himself as still as he could. Nothing happened for a second and he hoped that there would be no pain involved with whatever his dad was planning to do.

Then large hands grasped the back of Tsuna's head and pushed he boy's head towards the fire. Knowing what his dad was doing he struggled to get out of his hold. His struggling wasn't weak like before, now he was in actual danger. Not caring if he hit a sore spot or two in the process of getting out of more pain and suffering, he jerked around trying to get away. He clawed and bit like a wild animal to prevent himself from being pushed to the flame. He resisted but his face grew ever closer to the fire.

"Pa-Papa! Please stop…"

"Ya wanted to be warm didn't cha?" It didn't take long for his father to realize that he wasn't going to give up easily. Getting sick of the constant whining he let go of his head but grabbed his arm instead. The boy's scream erupted as the middle section of his arm made contact with the fire. This couldn't even be considered a tingle. It was nothing like a small cigarette burn. This had heat spreading through him, completely scorching his arm. The smell of burnt flesh swirled around the room and made him gag.

With strength Tsuna didn't know he had his other hand pushed his father away from him. The brunette withered on the floor trying to find comfort for his arm. Tears ran down his face and if his mind wasn't clouded from the pain he would have been shocked at himself. He never cried no matter how bad it got. In the earlier stages of the torture he did but he learned not to. Tears only made the beating that much longer. Yet now the liquid poured down his face in waves.

"Go to ya room!" The order was shouted and he thought he felt the floor shake from the vibrations. Scampering to this room his feet flew over the ground. This could only be a miracle as his dad never stopped until he had gotten what he wanted. His unhurt hand came to touch his cheek to see of it really hadn't been burnt. He thought that was the only logical answer but it all seemed normal. No pain or odd texture, so his skin was blemishless. He was still scared that his father might come to get him, so he went to the 'punishment room' instead of his own. If he was already in there maybe his dad wouldn't' go to the trouble of locking the door. Once inside he rushed for a nearby corner and propped himself up against it. His breathing evened out and even in his pained state exhausting took him over. He went into a dreamless and restless sleep.

If waking up to the sound of his window's bars hitting the floor wasn't enough to scare him the voice he heard was, "Run, Dame-Tsuna."

A fedora fell through 'time' until it landed on a dirty tiled floor. A baby who had waited for it to come back to him picked it up and sat it on his head. Beady eyes observed his surroundings and realized just how dirty the room was. Papers buried the floor and where there weren't papers there was empty cups of ramen. Lollipop sticks sat innocently all over the room. There might have even been more of the candy-less sticks than the papers. "Spanner…how did you do all this in just a week?"

A blonde head popped up from where a computer hid it and stared blankly at the baby. "It's only been a day, Reborn." The hitman took the new information in without too much surprise. A week in the past only accumulated to a day her, that didn't mean anything. 'Time' behaved the way it wanted to. Interference from the travel may have changed the rate at which hours moved. The blonde man went back to typing on the computer and muttered the questions that he had. "So, how did it go? Did you find the Decimo there or not?"

Before Reborn could answer a large pile of papers shifted and he brought out his gun. It continued to wiggle and soon someone appeared out of the mountain of paper, clutching his stomach. Irie Shoichi turned his head towards him and 'eeped' at the sight of the gun pointed at him. "Please, put it down!" He covered his head while ducking back into his old invention designs. The baby smiled and as he continued to wonder why he partnered up with these two. His joking thought led him into thinking hard about their current situation.

Along with their boss the guardians were dead, having been slaughtered on a scale higher than Tsuna's own murder. The man must have had a hard time dealing with all of them. Along with the bodies they found, his ex-student's casket had been discovered above ground and open. A while after that, that man came and took over the Vongola; he was somehow related to the family. Right after that everything changed for the worst. Allies were destroyed and war within the Mafia broke out. He even replaced most of the family with people of his own. He only wanted the name of the Vongola.

Yet there was a small hope that things could change back. Aria's clothes that were with the guardians meant _something_. If she sacrificed herself then there was a plan in place. Before he had been banned from getting near the mansion, he overheard the new boss talking about the new life the Sky Arcobaleno tried to give his ex-student. He would have demand to know more if he hadn't realized that Tsuna must be in the past somewhere, changing the future. To get to him he needed an expert in that area. That was how Shoichi and Spanner got involved in his scheme.

For the past two years while the Vongola name got dragged through the mud Reborn and his small team had gone as far as twenty-four years back not finding anything that Aria could have changed. Six months into their searching Uni came to tell them something rather important. She sensed that what her mother did was disturbed and changed around. They were searching in the wrong place. The time travel that the hitman just did proved it. He was much farther in the past than any of them thought. In fact he was in Primo's time.

"I found him and broke his window so he could run away from that horrible living environment he was in. I gave him directions."

Tsuna didn't immediately move when the voice told him to instead he sat there dumbfounded. Then he heard the stomping of feet outside his door. "Run, what he is planning to do to you is worse than ever before. Worse than the fire." Without a second thought or maybe with no thought at all the boy got up and staggered to the window. The door burst open and from his father's expression he found the strength to leave that house once and for all.

Ignoring the pain that ran though his body, Tsuna continued to dash farther and farther away. The voice. that first told him to run, helped him decide which way to go whenever he came to a road that forced him to choose. "Right, left, don't turn, keep going." Just simple things that kept him from wanting to turn back and go home. Yet even as he moved on, the voice got weaker and soon disappeared altogether. Discouraged he turned to head back to his dad but noticed he had no idea how to get home.

The houses around him were no longer ragged and dirty looking. Snow that was on the ground actually looked like snow and not mud. He immediately realized that he was in the wealthy area of the town. Mesmerized by the houses that were in finer condition that any he had seen before he walked on. He didn't know how long or how far he went and just continued to move until the cold seeped into him. His limbs grew numb, not from the usual pain but from coldness for once.

Tsuna's feet dragged through the white flakes and soon he tripped and fell onto the ground. He tried to get up but pain and coldness kept him from doing so. Snow accumulated on top of him and buried his shivering body. Should he have really followed the voice without thinking about it first? The consequences from doing what he was told led him into this situation. The only thought he could conjure at the moment wasn't pleasant. _What a cruel person…letting me die here._

Darkness overcame him and he lost consciousness. He didn't even wake up when booted feet stepped in front of his face. "…What is this?" Hands went down and shoved off the snow that covered the six-year old. "Oh, a child." The blonde man picked him up gently, trying not to startle the kid into awareness. "He's breathing. I'll bring him back to the mansion." He trudged forward, with Tsuna tucked away safely in his arms, in a hurried pace.

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><p><strong>Happy Holidays!<strong>


	4. Meeting

**Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman Reborn and its characters do not belong to me, they belong to Amano Akira**

**-Chapter Four-**

**Meeting**

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><p>Light flickered across Tsuna's face and he rolled onto his side on the bed. He clenched his eyes shut and touched the area around him. The fabric under him was something he never felt before. Bedding wasn't supposed to be this soft. In fact when he moved h felt a cool sleek thing move along with him. His brown eyes flashed open and took in the room. The expensive surroundings were an immediate shock to him. Paintings, that definitely were more valuable than his own head, layered the walls. Furniture that he taught himself never to touch while in a store, no matter how pretty, surrounded him. It made him wary even to move least he get yelled at for his skin rubbing against the objects.<p>

It crossed his mind that he might have died and this could be heaven. After all nowhere else would look like this. Then he thought about what he had done and instantly knew this couldn't be heaven. He wouldn't be able to go there after he really did die. That wonderful place wouldn't have any kind of people that could leave a father like his behind. The man did nothing to deserve to have his last relative run away from him. Away from the warm home he so graciously provided.

The notion that he was probably kidnapped entered his head but he let it slip away. Who, in their right mind, would want to kidnap a dirty child like him? Slowly he took a deep breath to calm himself. He felt somehow suffocated by the clean air he breathed in. In the part of the slums where he was from to take in air had never felt this good. Although his lungs didn't get much of it before he was afraid to breath. Footsteps sounded close by and he wondered if it was his father, but the steps were much lighter than his.

Panic set in and Tsuna forced his limbs to _move. _He kicked off the covers and slid off the bed he was laying on. The boy felt the cool fabric again and he looked down at himself. Silk, he was clothed in silk. Although it was only a long oversized nightshirt that went a little past his knees he knew how expensive it was. Could he afford to escape wearing this? Some might chase after and kill him just to get it back.

The footsteps got even closer and he couldn't give it anymore thought. He dove under the bed as he heard a click and assumed the door to the room had been opened. An image of a curtain flashed though his mind and he remembered that the bed was blocked from view because of it. The white sheet however wasn't long enough to block his view of the floor completely. It hung just over it so he could make out the vision of booted feet walking towards him. The same boots he remembered that appeared before his eyes in the snow.

Tsuna heard a gruff and unhappy voice speak out and it stopped the advance of the unknown man to the curtain. "Giotto, you took in another one?" _Another what?_

"Yes, Alaude, I found the boy in the snow. Poor thing couldn't stop shivering; he wasn't even dressed for that kind of weather!" _Oh, they are talking about me._

"He could be a spy." _Spy? Didn't he mean thief?_

"No, I don't think that's it. He seemed to really be suffering."

"That's the point."

"Are you implying that a small kid would do that to themselves just so I'd take them in?"

"Hn."

"You're unbelievable! Anyway, I'll show you something so you'll believe me when I tell you he isn't a spy." Another pair of shoes appeared during the conversation and he knew that this Giotto man couldn't be stalled anymore. The curtain was pulled back and then there was silence.

"See, he's gone. Spy." He wondered if Alaude didn't like to talk. He seemed to try to limit his words and speak only when needed.

"Quiet you cloud." The familiar boots went around the bed and the others disappeared from where they came. Tsuna turned his head to see how the man was standing. The way his feet were placed shoed that he was not facing him. Hoping for the best he darted out from under the bed and made a dash for the door. The sounds he made had Giotto swirling about only to see the boy's back. Sadly what the six year old thought to be an unblocked path wasn't.

A tall blonde man was leaning against the wall next to the door. He opened his eyes revealing sharp, piercing blue orbs that nearly froze Tsuna in his tracks. Yet, just maybe if he sped his feet up a bit he could make it out of the room. Oh, how wrong he was. The man hadn't moved an inch until his small hand hit the doorknob. Suddenly his feet left the floor and he felt hands hold him up in the air. Tears pooled in his eyes knowing he'd been caught. Narrowed eyes observed him and then noticed his arm. "Who did this?"

The boy shook his head violently not wanting to answer. Then a loud shout of, "Extreme!" was heard from outside the room. It was very close by and it had the blonde guy setting him down on the ground quickly. Yet he didn't let go all the way, he made sure to keep a hold of the kid's shoulder. The door burst open and Alaude put his hand up to stop it from hitting them. In the confusion of that moment Tsuna sank his teeth into the man's arm. Reflexively, he drew back his hand but his other one lashed out to take hold of him again.

The grab was too late and the brunette was already on the other side of the door in front of Knuckle. "Catch him!" Giotto tried to tell his sun guardian but the boy dashed past the man before he could.

"Ryohei, stop him!" Tsuna's eyes widened when he realized he had more people to get past. How many were there? The figure that stopped him this time was a white haired boy probably a few years older than him. He was much more imposing than the man with the band aid over his nose. This kid had a scar over his left eye that scared the wits out of him. The bigger boy stood still, hands on hips, blocking his escape route. The adults stayed in the other room looking at them through the opening.

Cautiously, Tsuna moved to Ryohei's right hoping he would just let him pass. Then while he was moving forward the kid threw himself towards the smaller boy. "I'll extremely catch you!"

"Hiee!" He dodged to the left trying to get away. Hands made a grab for him even as he skittered passed and went for the stairs that were close by. He looked behind him and saw the boy falling down, right into a stand with an expensive looking vase on it. He averted his eyes quickly but he heard the crashing of the vase as it hit the floor. He hoped that it wouldn't be blamed on him somehow. Hurrying along he rushed to the stairs as he knew the other men were coming after him.

Ugetsu Asari heard Knuckle and Giotto shouting upstairs and sighed. He looked down at the paperwork in his hand and wanted to sigh again. He needed to deliver this to his boss but didn't want to run into the sun guardian. No, don't get him wrong he liked the man and was friends with him. His loudness never really bothered him much but right now he had a headache. He went to the stairs anyway and trudged up them. There was a crash and he looked up only to see a young boy at the top staring right at him as he tripped on the very first stair and tumbled down.

When Tsuna got to the stairs he glanced down only to see a man walking up them. He flinched which resulted in him losing his balance. He closed his eyes tight and tried to take hold of the banister but he couldn't and gravity took him. Asari braced himself and put out his hands to catch the boy. The weight hit him and he wrapped his arms around him and let his body fall the rest of the way down the stairs. He kept his head high so that it wouldn't hit the floor but once he did he set it down.

"Asari!"

"Giotto, is this who you said to catch?"

"Yes, but not that literally."

The rain guardian grinned up at his friend and then lowered his gaze to the little one in his arms. Tsuna's panicked eyes met his and he smiled and loosened his hold on him. A hand came up to touch his face but what he thought was going to be a light touch was a heard slap. The sound echoed throughout the mansion and he heard his boss whine at the sound. His cheek stung and in his shocked state the child easily slipped out of his arms.

The first thing Tsuna did once he got away was dart around going through hallway after hallway, zigzagging to avoid capture. He absolutely knew that once caught they would skin him alive. After the vase breaking and now the slap he had delivered to the man's face they wouldn't forgive him. He held his hand tightly to his chest wondering why he had done what he did. Hurting someone who didn't deserve it was an unforgiveable act. All the dark-haired man did was save him from certain death. If he hadn't been caught his head would have been cracked open by the very stairs that he thought would lead him to his escape route.

Now shaking fingers went to mesh with his unruly hair envisioning the scene of his bloody demise. His feet had stopped their journey and while in his imaginary world he almost didn't notice the light flickering above him. Doe like eyes looked up to view the ceiling just as the light went out permanently. How he wished the flicker of light was back. "Nufufu…" He hugged himself as he backed away from the area that he heard the strange chuckle.

"What do we have here? A sneaky little rat sneaking around?" The voice sounded right next to his ear and he whirled around but no one was there. "Oh, was I right?" He turned again but this time caught the sight of a scythe right as it disappeared in front of him. He fell to the floor shivering in fright. "You're scared? Maybe I should show myself…" What should have been a nice offer sounded indescribably cruel in its own way. If he saw what this person looked like he was sure to see a monstrosity of a human.

A mist like substance appeared in the air and slowly revealed a man holding a scary looking weapon. That thing…it could easily cut of his head! He covered his neck with his hands trying to keep the vulnerable area out of sight. Then hesitatingly he raised his eyes to take in the man's appearance. Having been preoccupied with no looking away from the scythe he hadn't noticed what the man actually looked like. "Melon…head?" The weapon came down faster than he could have imagined and slammed down in the area in between his legs.

"Nufufu, the name is Daemon _not_ Melon-head." Somehow even with having seen that weapon of his make a long crack on the floor he couldn't take the man seriously with that hair of his. He stood up on no longer shaking legs and reached up. Confused with what the child was doing he leaned down and met him half-way. Then tiny fingers wrapped around a strand of his hair and yanked. "…Do you have a death wish, Boy?" There was another yank and the brunette smiled sweetly but what came out of his mouth was nearly venomous.

"Melon." A menacing glint appeared in the dark-haired man's eyes and he raised his weapon. Yet before he could do anything with it an idea struck him and he drew it back. Then suddenly with a ferocious roar a dog-beast leaped out of the darkness. "Hiie!" Tsuna stared in fear at the animal that jumped onto him. Screaming, he tried to push it away but its claws came up and struck out towards his forehead. Falling onto his back and barely avoiding the razor sharp nails he bolted.

It seemed that since he had woken up all he did was run. Run away from scary things, freaky people, beasts, and his very own feelings of guilt about leaving his father. His young mind couldn't even try to process those feelings as his thoughts only centered around trying to not get killed. The funny looking man named Daemon was not as funny as he appeared. No, far from it. In reality that guy should be called a Demon. There was no doubt in his mind that those beasts were set loose by that person.

Feet slamming against the floor loudly Tsuna listened for the mutant and waited for it to attack. That thing must be faster than him and there was no hope left in him for getting out of this house alive. Breathing hard he continued his frantic search for an escape. A search for anything that could save him from the death he was certain that was coming. That voice that led him there was what he cursed now. Whoever that was had left him for dead in the snow and he'd been kidnapped. So he let himself blame it all on that.

Hearing the howling and roaring behind him he knew that the dog were on his heels. Zigzagging around the hallways again he desperately tried to shake the pests off. He opened a door and was thinking about hiding within the room but decided against it when he heard a yelp and turned a bit to see a small dog staring at him in warning. It wasn't the one from earlier so he guessed that there were more now. It smirked at him and he knew that if he went in that room he would be trapped. The man only warned him because he must have thought the game too fun to give up.

Every time Tsuna opened a door something similar to this happened. Finally he found a staircase, a different one than before, and rushed up it. Then with a last ditch effort he packed all his energy in his legs and dashed through hallway after hallway. He made sure his steps were quiet and precise; no tripping could be allowed with this plan. Then he came upon a door and silently opened it and just as quietly closed it.

The brunette put his ear against the door and listened intently for any noise, yet none came. Breathing a sigh of relief he lowered himself to the ground and placed his arms around his shoulders. The encounter with Daemon had frightened him to unbelievable heights. It left him shaking and he did his best to hold himself together. Once again he wondered if this is what all people his age went through. If this was normal.

Warm steam fluttered around Tsuna's face so he turned slightly to see what was behind him. He realized that he must be in a bathroom. Venturing into the steam he saw a figure of a person. Water ran down them and then he heard him curse. "That bastard, Daemon!" The yell that came from inside the shower made him flinch but he nearly cheered once he processed what had been said. If this was said about that man then maybe they weren't friends. What was behind that shower curtain could very well be a chance of escape, at least from that demon.

The boy heard a faint mutter, as the water was turned off, that soundly like, "Damn him, inking me like this!" The curtain was pulled back and his brown eyes widened.

"Hiee! It's a pink monster!" Right in front of him stood the most hideous thing he ever laid eyes on. It seemed human enough; it had all the parts and nothing extra. Yet, the thing's skin was pink the only part of him that wasn't was his red hair.

"You brat, its red not pink!" Oh, if only that were true. The mist bastard decided to make fun of him by using a pink dye. "Wait, why the hell are you in here anyway?" G quickly grabbed a towel to wrap around himself and stepped out. Too quick were what his movements were and he slipped on the wet tiled floor. He fell in front of the stricken boy, who screamed again and left in a hurry.

"Get back here, Kid!"

_After seeing a monster like you who'd go back?_ At this point Tsuna thought he would be better off with the beast following him. Again he dashed about the house and contemplated going back down stairs and finding an exit. Surely he wanted to but he also realized that he didn't know the way back. He ran along ways away from the room he left before he heard the cries of the mutts again. Scared he froze trying to pin-point where it came from.

Then another howl sounded and he ran as fast as he could until he came upon a staircase. Looking up it he saw it was light up there at the very top of the swirling steps. A tower! Could he hide there without being found? Hearing the dogs he came to his decision and started to climb the seemingly never ending stairs. There was no telling how long it took him but his feet started to hurt around the middle and soon the pain neared unbearable. Even the slightest touch of the floor hurt his feet.

Then Tsuna only had a few steps left until he was in that light. He hadn't heard the mutts so he assumed that they didn't know where he was headed. At the top he fell into the let area and groaned in pain. He lifted himself enough to see around the room and at the same time a green-haired boy turned around in his bed to look at him. Silence enveloped them but then the brunette suddenly screamed, "Hiie!" _I'm caught._

The other boy screamed along with him and it continued on like that until they both lost their breath. "Don't do that! It can give someone a heart attack." Refilling his lungs the child couldn't say anything. "What's a brat like you doing here anyway?" There wasn't a reply but the guilty expression on his face said it all. "…Well if you don't bother me you can do whatever you want." He laid back down on the bed he was originally on and snuggled into the blankets there. "Don't mess up the room."

In just a couple of seconds the little boy heard gentle snores coming from the green-haired boy. He then spent the next few minutes observing the strange creature. It was surprising to see how lazy this guy was. He could have easily been a thief and he deemed him not-a-threat at first sight. Should he be grateful or slightly irritated? Well, he guessed it didn't matter much; at least he had a place to hide now. Yet, how long would it be safe here?

Standing up he inched over to the bed and put his back against it and quietly sat there, holding his knees to his chest. There was a clock on the wall that ticked by slowly, marking the time he sat there. Sighing he hugged himself tighter and thought about his situation. Sooner or later he'd have to leave this tower like place and go back down. Is that why he was being left alone for now or was it another reason?

Lost in thought he barely noticed when the stairs began to creak. It was low but there had surely been a creak. Panicking he circled the room wondering where to hide. Suddenly he saw a laundry chute that was big enough for him to fit seven of himself in it. Going to it he pulled the metal handle down and looked inside. It didn't look promising but it was either that or what was coming up the stairs. Hurrying he climbed inside and then let go of the edges.

Air swished passed Tsuna and he held in his scream. As a last though he wondered where this would lead him. His legs ran out of metal too slide down and he fell into a cart of blankets. He waited a minute before popping his head out. The thing ended up bringing him to a laundry room but he didn't know where in the house he was. Getting out of the cart he left the room but carefully, not wanting to draw attention to himself.

His eyes caught sight of glass doors leading outside. Running, he rushed to push them open. The frosted glass hadn't shown how bright it was outside and he had to block his eyes from the burning rays of sunlight. Slowly he took his arm down and he stood there shocked. Right there, side facing the sun stood a figure of a boy not much older than himself. It was only an outline he saw at first.

An outline of a boy soaked in dripping liquid and some kind of sticks in his hands. Noticing him the child turned towards him just as the sun set in back of him. The appearance of the other boy made him gasp. The liquid that ran down his body was blood; he couldn't have been more soaked in it. The sticks were actually tonfas, also covered in the red liquid. Yet, none of that was what he couldn't take his eyes off of. No, it was his mesmerizing grey eyes that drew him onto a dangerous path.

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><p><strong>Well, Ryohei appeared again! Who should come next?<strong>


	5. Caught

**Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman Reborn and its characters do not belong to me, they belong to Amano Akira**

**Warnings: Small mention of drug trade **

**-Chapter Five-**

**Caught**

Giotto stormed through the halls of the mansion opening door after door. Asari and Knuckle trailed after him looking in places he forgot to check. It had been a surprise for all of them to chase after the boy. They had expected him to be quiet and scared in his new surroundings. Yet, right off the bat he started to wreak havoc. The very first thing he did after waking up was bite Alaude. Why did it have to be Alaude of all people? The only thing about the situation, at the time, that calmed him was that the man didn't go and try to find the child. The murder of a young boy was not something he would like to cover up.

The boy had rushed out of the room and faced off with Ryohei and Asari yet hadn't been snagged. From the expression that Asari described, which was on the kid's face after the slap, seemed to go along with his idea that he was acting on instinct, on fear. It was a predictable reaction with all the wounds he had. Whoever took care of him before didn't do a good job of it. There was even the possibility that his own family inflicted those scars on him. It certainly was hard to think about that at all. If something like this slipped under their radars once it could happen again.

It probably did happen before, with the other child they'd picked up a few months ago. He clearly hadn't been treated well either. Although unlike this new boy he possessed only a shallow cut most likely caused by a knife. Asari found him sleeping in an abandoned building that was being used by some thugs for their drug trading. His friends only got around fifteen feet away from him when he woke up and tried to attach him. Luckily it was his rain guardian and not another. If he didn't calm him with his flame he would probably still be running about the streets.

Giotto snapped out of his thoughts when he saw a flash of red hair in his peripheral vision. Turning his head he looked into the bathroom they'd almost passed and spotted G towel drying himself roughly. Curses were shooting out of his mouth every few seconds. They mostly consisted of, "Daemon…bastard…kill…pink dye…" Then the last one, "Damn kid…" Pushing open the door that stood ajar, he looked at his friend and needed to suppress laughter. His skin didn't have its normal shade but one entirely different. He was pink.

Although it showed from the many used towels about the room that he'd tried rubbing it off, and probably took a few showers also, but the pink was not just slightly noticeable. Even if you only glanced at him for a split second you couldn't ignore it.

"G…" A hard glare was shot his way and he knew it was one of those 'don't you dare ask' glares that he normally never used on him. That alone meant that something he didn't want spoken about happened within this room. He scratched the back of his head and sighed. "I heard you say 'kid' did you see the child I brought here yesterday?" It was quiet for a minute and he realized from the expression he wore that, yes he had and the boy also had something to do with whatever he didn't want to talk about.

The storm guardian pulled on his shirt and tossed the towel he'd been drying his chest with to the floor, "Yeah, I saw him." He walked out of the bathroom with his dignity in tack this time and nodded to the right. "He escaped that way when I went for him." The red-haired man walked in front of them hands in pockets when he noticed the wet carpet. He leaned down and put his hand to the small dark spot. Yeah, it was definitely wet and there were several of these dots spread around. "The kid left a trail for us."

Giotto smiled at the proof that the boy was clueless about having to hide his presence. _No, Alaude, not spy material at all._ Asari fondly put his arm around his shoulder and sang, "Follow the yellow brick road. Follow the yellow brick road." He laughed softly and smiled to the rain guardian. "Follow that and we'll find the wizard won't we?" He continued to hum the song until G politely told him to shut his trap or he'd be following up a white road all the way to heaven. "Oh, G believes I'm a good person. He thinks I'll go to heaven."

The two bickered like children and even knuckle decided to join in amplifying the volume. Giotto ignored it for a while, after all he was used to it, probably too much. Then it dawned on him that although they were in the mansion where loudness was ok, if Alaude wasn't too close by, they were searching for somebody. The sound would alert the child that they were coming along and he'd run. "Stop, you'll scare the 'wizard' off." Asari smiled and grew quiet but G muttered a few things before he completely shut up. Knuckle did his best to remain silent throughout the rest of the search. Normally his volume wasn't as loud as Ryohei's but when he got excited nothing could stop him. Silently, he cheered that Ryohei decided to look without them.

The trail on the carpet ended soon, apparently the wetness of the boy's feet dried up at that point. They continued on straight until they got to a hall where they had to come up with an answer to the question, 'left for right?' None of his guardians wanted to answer with the chance of being wrong but G opened his mount and shut it once Asari answered for them, "Left!" Going along with his guess they turned and saw Daemon standing at the bottom of the staircase that led to Lampo's hiding room.

He eyed them as they came closer and then smirked, "You'll find that boy up there." The mist guardian walked away as if they hadn't found him in an odd position. That man never came close to Lampo's hiding room or any of his rooms for that matter. If he did he would end up getting mad and start bullying the younger man. His term for bullying was harsh and it was better not to open that can of worms. If he killed the lazy man there would be internal conflicts within the Vongola. That was not something anyone wanted.

Giotto torn his eyes away from Daemon's retreating back and looked towards the stairs. At least the child was safe. Daemon wouldn't go up to hurt him and his other guardians were accounted for. Alaude had given his vow not to harm the boy if he found him. Well, he took the grunt he was given as a yes when he'd asked for his cooperation. A word that usually didn't fit the cloud. He did what he wanted when he wanted, that was his personality.

The group of four found themselves around three quarters of the way up when G thought about why that brat of a man wanted to build such a huge stairwell. It didn't fit his lazy ways at all but he guessed it fit his other traits. This was the only way up and because it was such a cruel journey to the top no one came wandering up to bother him for little things. It was a great place to hide from work and people who'd want to skin him alive. To come up the stairs just to kill such an annoying person was a waste of energy. _Coward…_

They reached the top and all four were tired and hungry. Dinner hadn't been served before and now they had to wait until they found the boy to eat. An irritated group burst into Lampo's room that day and it was a day he probably wouldn't forget in a while. "Lampo…" G's voice was dangerously low and even it triggered enough of a danger alert for the heavy sleeper to wake up. Red eyes searched the room as he stared at his new visitors. "Where is he?"

"Who?"

G stomped over to him and grabbed him by his shirt. The growl that left his throat fit an animal more than a human. "Where is the kid?" It dawned on him then just who he was talking about. Used to being shaken, he didn't even feel dizzy from the constant jostling he suffered at the other's hands. Looking around the room the first thing he noticed was the absence of his little guest. Suffering a hard shake his head fell back and he saw G's face. Anger was the sole emotion there and he flinched. Oh, boy this wasn't gonna be fun.

His fingers wrapped around the storm guardian's and it drew attention there. Not having to face that expression locked on his eyes anymore made it easier for him. "I don't know. When I went to sleep the brat was here." The silence after his answer didn't' last long

"You slept when a kid was in your care?"

"Like you wouldn't have done the same!"

"I wouldn't have!"

Lampo huffed and turned away from G. The temper of his from his younger years was showing and he wondered why he was one of the few that made it flare. The red head didn't act like this all the time. Of course it could be because he was irritated. "That was some extreme yelling but you shouldn't argue. We need to find that child. For all we know he could of injured himself somewhere." He raised his bible and continued, "But don't worry. I'm sure God is watching over him. G sighed but decided to leave Lampo alone for now. Why Giotto kept a priest in the mafia was beyond him. Still, at times he'd been useful to have around.

Asari had a smile on his face since he came into the room even when his fellow guardians started to argue. He was going to step in when knuckle did it for him. That gave him time to observe the room a bit. This was his first time in here and it might very well be his last. He caught sight of it then, the laundry chute had the curtain tucked inside by its edge. "Why do you keep it like that, Lampo?" He pointed to the laundry chute as he walked towards it. The breeze from the window blew the curtain gently and he waited for the answer to his question.

"…It wasn't like that when I fell asleep. The brat must have done it." Lampo sighed dramatically as he fell onto the bed. "And I told him not to mess up the room."

Giotto put two and two together and he came up with a general idea of where the boy was. "He must have gone down that way. He probably heard us coming up the stairs." He rounded up his guardians and they proceeded down the stairs in a hurried pace. "That leads to the laundry room. Let's go there." It was the only possible answer if he had come down he would have been snagged by Daemon, who'd been waiting for him at the bottom. Kind of like a wolf waiting for his prey.

While staring into the older boy's eyes Tsuna felt a light prick on his pinky finger. Lifting his hand up he examined his nail. In the middle of it twinkled a tiny purple dot. He'd grown used to seeing something just like this on his other hand, also under his pinky's finger nail. Except that one was orange and never made him feel pain. This was a constant prick that didn't leave. Yet he didn't give it much thought and turned his attention back to the dark-haired boy. He caught him looking down at his right hand that held a tonfa.

Hibari had felt this prickling sensation before when he'd been around Ryohei. It stopped a while back though when they'd gotten in a scuffle, which he proudly ended up winning. Now it wasn't any different with this kid. He felt the prickle and another one of his nails lit up. Three of them sparkled annoyingly at him, purple, yellow, and orange. His eyes switched back to the other child's face and he heard him take in a large breath. Would the pain stop if he hit this boy? He took a step forward and tightened his grip on his weapons to see if his idea worked. Yet when he did this, the kid got on his tippy-toes and brought up his hand to caresses his cheek. Freezing he looked down into his doe like eyes.

Tsuna didn't know what to feel when those grey eyes locked onto him with irritation. A whole bundle of emotions swelled inside him, fear, sadness, anger, and the need to comfort the other from what made him annoyed. It was when he took a step towards him that he couldn't control himself anymore. He reached up and touched the cheek of the stranger and almost whispered, "Are you ok?" Mesmerized by his eyes he tried to pull himself up so he could get a better look. So intent was he that he didn't even notice the prickling sensation disappear. Unknowingly, the child lowered his head slightly to give him what he wanted. Once he got a better look into those fascinating eyes he saw a flash of a different face. An older, much more mature, one then the one that he was touching now. The man's steel gaze softened slightly and then the image disappeared.

Hibari didn't like being touched like this but for some reason he complied to the brunette's unspoken request to lean down. Then only after a second of getting what he'd wanted the boy drew back, flinching slightly. The thought that this herbivore wasn't afraid of him vanished completely. It was rude to flinch away like that once he saw his face up close. The action took away the refreshing feeling of having a person his age not fearing him. Maybe it was the blood that covered him that made the other do that. But it should have been apparent that he was covered in it.

Pain, on a much higher scale than the pricking of his finger, pierced Tsuna's head right before the image faded and he flinched from it, falling back on his feet and bringing his hand down. It got to the point where he couldn't even stand straight and he wobbled back a couple of feet until he regained his footing. Though, when he did straighten himself a tonfa descended towards him. "Hiee!" He covered his head quickly not wanting to have any more pain go through it but nothing hit him. Cracking open his eyes he saw why.

Alaude had brushed passed him and took hold of the end of each tonfa with one hand.

The dark-haired boy didn't give up even when his weapon was taken hold of. His grip didn't loosen and he let his feet dangle close to the ground. These weapons were only just handed back to him that day, he wouldn't let them be taken again. Tsuna stared up at the blonde man and wondered if he enjoyed picking up kids like that or just people in general. Then it hit him that he needed to run right about now.

He didn't even get to take a step away before the man's other hand was on the back of his neck. Alaude learned from his experience earlier not to set skin in the boy's biting range. Both children were then brought into the mansion and he pulled the door short behind them with his foot. "It's time for dinner." When they finally reached the dining room the older boy was losing his grip on his tonfa's and his sweaty hands started to slide down the smooth surface. Yet he didn't fall and his feet never once touched the floor. They weren't even given the chance.

Alaude shoved the two on separate chairs and took out a handcuff for each of their hands. He locked one hand on the chair and one on the table. The younger of the kids probably wouldn't have been able to do much with one hand free but he definitely didn't trust the other demon child. After only a month or so of having him here he injured several of their staff and has yet to speak ten words that weren't part of his favorite phrase. He hadn't even told them his name and the CEDEF couldn't find a trace of who he was.

With him standing between the two chairs that held his captives the rest of the Vongola guardians ran into the room. Lampo may have been dragged and Daemon also didn't seem too eager to come in.

"Nufufufu…What are you doing to what I was hunting?"

"Ah, thank god, Alaude you found him!" The mist was completely ignored by the cloud and his sky, who rushed forward to check if his guardian hurt the boy in anyway. There were no wounds visible but he thought being cuffed to a chair was just as bad as a bleeding cut. "The only reason I'm not going to yell at you is because this might have been the gentlest way you ever caught someone." Alaude grunted and took a seat at the end of the long table. It had over fourteen chairs so it was easy to not have to sit next to anyone.

Pissed off at the other's nonchalant attitude Hibari seethed and continued to glare at the blonde haired man until he looked towards him. Holding the older's attention with how furious his glare was he snarled, "Release me or I'll bite you to death." His child-like voice wasn't as threatening as he wished but it got the message across. Alaude smirked and raised his eyebrows but did nothing to let him loose. Livid, the boy pulled his wrists in all different directions, "I'll bite you to death no matter what."

The man almost snickered at the boy's antics and let him try to free himself. "How?" That made Hibari fight even harder against the chain and he thought,_ that_ _bastard_. "Mm, my parents were married." _Damn minding reading bastard. _While those two continued their little fight, Giotto waited for Tsuna to say something. Yet, he didn't and tried not to look anyone in the eye.

Smiling he tried to reassure the child that nothing was wrong. "We won't hurt you." Saying that wouldn't help at all as the boy remembered bullies saying that right before they attacked him. Seeing his reactions get worse he decided to try and make a deal. "If you promise not to run away we'll let you free. Can you promise me that?"

Tsuna thought about the offer and looked at the people around him. They haven't tried to hurt him yet and couldn't really understand the reason why. He'd done so much and caused a lot of trouble. It was while thinking of the reason for that when he realized that no one expect that demon like guy really tried to hurt him. The reason for running was because he thought of what they might do to him before it even happened. Alaude caught him and only pried into his business; he didn't try to hurt him in any way.

The brunette had rushed passed two others without getting a weapon pointed at him and the guy on the stairs didn't injure him. The exact opposite, really he saved him. The pink monster that he now recognized as the red-haired man by the door wanted to stop him and didn't threaten him at all. The boy he met in the tower couldn't have cared less about him and went to sleep after telling him not to do anything. Daemon was the only questionable person. "Ok. I promise."

Alaude grew tired of Hibari's glaring and leaned back in his chair. He was hungry but being who he was his stomach was too afraid to show it by rumbling like Lampo's did just then. It was a loud sound but the green-haired man wasn't embarrassed by it at all. Actually, he even smiled while patting it lightly. When he first arrived he was much more noble like then he was now. Somehow it faded quicker than expected and he continued to get worse. Asari smiled at Lampo and said to everyone, "I think it's time for dinner."

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><p><strong>Meh, boring chapter.<strong>


	6. Names

**Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman Reborn and its characters do not belong to me, they belong to Amano Akira**

**Warnings: Child abuse, hint of boyXboy relationship**

**-Chapter Six-**

**Names **

Giotto nodded, walking over to the wall and pulling on the rope that hung there. A maid came rushing in and he smiled at her. "Could we have dinner served now?"

"Yes, Sir." She left to go to the kitchen and bring them their food.

Ryohei ran passed her but instantly stilled when he saw Tsuna in the chair. "You extremely found him!" He turned to look at Giotto as the guardians took their seats at the table. "We're having dinner?" The blonde haired man went to sit down so he took that as a 'yes'.

After sitting Giotto gave Alaude a pointed look, "Unlock both of them." The cloud eyed the dark-haired boy and he sighed, "You can keep one of his hands cuffed. Release the other so he can eat properly." Once the brunette's hands were free he smiled at him gently. "We forgot to introduce ourselves. I'm Giotto. This is G, Asari, Knuckle, Lampo, Ryohei, Daemon, and Alaude." He heard an annoyed snort and he angled himself so he could stare at the other blonde man._ Seems he didn't like his name being said with ours._

While he was distracted Ryohei walked over and put out his hand to Tsuna. "My name is Ryohei. What's yours?"

Awed and maybe even a little frightened of the bigger and older boy the brunette lowered his gaze to the floor. For some reason he thought back to the voice that brought him here. He'd liked what it called him and it was a shortened form of his name so it should be ok. "I'm Tsuna." Remembering the boy he met earlier he looked towards him expecting to be told his name but it never came. The child didn't even acknowledge that he was being looked at.

"Oh, him?" Ryohei had seen what he was looking at. "He hasn't told anyone his name yet. He's an extreme guy!"

The maids came in then with their food so Ryohei sat down next to Tsuna. Throughout the meal there was lots of chatting and a few remarks that had either handcuffs or scythes being drawn out in warning, yet no real fighting broke out. Giotto always stopped it before it came to that. The worst of all the 'almost fights' happened when the dark-haired boy was released completely. Actually, it could be considered a fight but Alaude didn't seem to think it was. He dodged a couple of the boy's attacks but Giotto came up behind him and stopped it. Later he learned that the boy must have been pretty mad to resort to using his hands, he usually used the tonfas he carried.

Hibari left quickly after that, pissed off that he couldn't get his tonfas back. If he hadn't become so caught up in that herbivore he would have sensed that bastard coming. When the brunette was released and he wasn't, he didn't feel bad about it. Really he felt smug that they knew if he had both hands they'd be in trouble. Sighing he wondered why he decided to stay here that first week. He'd been sick and worn down so he thought he would stay here a few days and eat the food that replenished his strength. After that he should have left but by then they confiscated his tonfas and he couldn't leave without those, they were too important. Today he had gotten them back and testing the feel of them on a group of crowding herbivores because he did that he was stuck here again.

Tsuna watched the dark-haired kid leave and noticed that no one seemed too worried that he had wandered off alone. The maids came back in to clean up and Asari looked over at him and Ryohei. "Ryohei, could you bring Tsuna to his room for us? It's late so after that you should head off to bed." The white haired boy nodded and grabbed Tsuna's hand.

"I'll extremely show him the way." With that the two children disappeared from the room.

Giotto settled himself farther into his chair and waited for the maids to leave so the meeting could start. The group had realized quickly that Alaude wouldn't eat with them unless there was a reason to. So they came up with this 'after dinner meeting' idea. He promised that anyone who wasn't present for the meal wouldn't be allowed to take part in the meeting. It forced the cloud to be there because he felt that if he didn't watch over these meeting then the group would do something stupid.

Now these meetings became something akin to complaining time. Where people spoke about what happened that day and asked if anything interesting popped up. Still Alaude came to dinner and acted as if nothing had changed. Normally he didn't speak throughout the whole thing but this time he was the first to say something. "You breeded with a women, Giotto." The Vongola boss was so shocked by this question more like statement that he could only stare at his guardian in open mouthed astonishment.

Coming to his senses he yelled, "NO! How could you even think that?"

"The resemblance."

Now that had him snapping at his cloud guardian. "And what of the other boy then?" At first everyone had been shocked at the boy's similarities to Alaude and they had a conversation just like this but much shorter. It ended with him only saying 'no' to the accusation that it was his child. Although the subject was brought up a couple of times, in the last week or two he came up with something else to say. Denouncing his pride as a handsome man he told them that his features were common, many people could look like him. None believed it but they accepted it to put an end to the discussion.

Before Alaude's look-a-like appeared Ryohei came. There weren't any signs of abuse on him but in his own words he was 'extremely tired,' after saying that he collapsed on the mansion doorstep. Knuckle admitted reluctantly that he could have a son but before the cloud guardian could punish him for unmoral behavior the white-haired announced that he had a father and it surely wasn't him. The sun decided that they most likely were somehow related. Since he didn't have any connections with his family anymore he couldn't check.

After agreeing with Alaude's thought that his features were common the man shouldn't push Giotto too far. The least he could do was help him out, he knew that it couldn't be his kid. Gritting his teeth he spoke in a soft tone, "Mu looks are nothing special. You can find someone who looks like me by just searching around the town."

"…Giotto, your eye color is not common at all." It was Asari who innocently said that but he received a glare. "But, at the same time Tsuna doesn't share your eye color." That seemed to settle the blonde's ruffled feathers and G had a moment of picturing him as a peacock, only for a second.

Daemon chuckled in his funny way and gave Giotto a meaningful look. "Let's stop joking now." He turned to Alaude smiling politely, "You of all people should know that this child isn't Giotto's, wouldn't you?" That only met silence until he chuckled again. "Nufufu…We all know that if he had a kid people from all over would come to experiment on him." His boss's cheeks blossomed with color; perfectly understanding what his mist guardian was implying.

Lampo coughed and tried to move the conversation away from this delicate subject. "The ages for all the brats don't match theirs so it's impossible for all three. Remember when Knuckle realized his math error? They didn't chase after women back then…well, maybe Alaude." His comment had a pair of handcuffs twirling about the frightening man's finger. "…Just kidding." The handcuff disappeared as quickly as it had showed up and he sighed in relief.

G grunted and leaned back in his chair, "I hate to admit it but the brat's right. Now, what are we going to do about this extra? We already have two of them isn't that enough? Giotto has too much to worry about as is."

Asari shook his head to this, "No. G, didn't you see the burn mark on him? What do you think will happen to him if we send him off like that?" His eyes grew harder at the thought that passed through his head. "Whoever did that to him could find him again." He brought his head closer to the table so he could see Lampo. "What do you think?"

Yawning, the lazy man shoved himself deeper into this chair, "As long as I don't have to see him then I won't care." Hugging himself he opened one eye to gaze at everyone. "Also if he isn't violent like the other brat." With that he shut up and fell asleep. The Japanese man kept his head close to the table and looked over at Daemon.

"I say we give the boy to the orphanage. Maybe his had parents who are searching for him."

Knuckle didn't have to be probed to give his opinion, "I believe God would want us to keep him."

"Alaude, what about you?"

The blonde man stood up and started towards the door yet before he opened it to leave he said, "He's similar to you." He acted like no one was there as he stared towards Giotto, "Keep him." Having said what he wanted to he opened the door and left.

Giotto watched him leave in shock. Those words were almost a replica of what he said when the dark-haired boy arrived. Grinning he got up from his seat and announced that the meeting was over. "I'll go check on Tsuna." He couldn't help feeling his happiness escalate at his cloud guardian's words.

Asari Smiled over at him and stood also, "I'll come with you." He was worried if the child wouldn't be able to sleep in this new environment.

G groaned to himself but went along with them. It was rare to have a group traveling around the mansion together. None of them seemed to have the same free time as the others. Stretching he walked up the stairs behind the two other man. When they reached Tsuna's room Giotto opened the door quietly and the three peeked within. G was dumbstruck and Giotto paled while Asari laughed uneasily. The scene before them was unbelievable.

Ryohei brought Tsuna up to his room trying to strike up a conversation along the way. The boy only nodded or shook his head at his questions. Only when the answer couldn't be shown that way did he speak. Otherwise it was just Ryohei talking to himself. The older child didn't mind and passed it off as him just being, "extremely shy!" Finally the duo reached their destination and after seeing the brunette was put to bed the white-haired boy left so he could sleep.

Tsuna never thought that, in a place he didn't know well, he could fall asleep but he did. He was hoping for a dreamless sleep just in case his mind wanted to try to remind him of something of didn't want to remember. He would not get what he wanted. He might have fallen asleep quickly but waking up wasn't that simple. A nightmare of fire and the smell of burning flesh plagued him. There was a flash of his father's tattoo and his gentle voice that held an edge of danger. "Ya wanted to be warm didn't cha?" The horrible images of himself laying on the ground with a burnet face had him tossing and turning. What made him give a short almost silent scream was the image that came once he didn't follow the voice in his dream. The sound of his father's belt being removed, the lashing his back got and how the torture just seemed to continue forever.

The feel of something cold against his face woke Tsuna up from his nightmare. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he looked up at the person whose chilly hands touched him. The dark-haired boy from earlier loomed over him not moving a muscle and just giving him a glare. "If you don't be quiet I'll bite you to death." He opened his mouth to give a loud scream triggered by the frightening threat but the boy's hand covered his mouth. "It will get crowded in here if you yell." The hand was taken away once he nodded and accepted that if he screamed he'd be 'bitten to death.'

The older boy wiped his palm on his pant leg in case he had gotten any germs on his hand. This action drew the brunette's attention to what he was wearing. Oversized trousers and a t-shirt covered his frame, much like what Tsuna wore at home. The child turned to leave the room and the terrifying vision of his nightmare came back. He didn't want to be alone. Unthinkingly he arm shot out and he grabbed hold of the other's shirt.

Hibari couldn't help but let a sound of surprise leave his throat when he felt the tug on his clothes. Cursing the noise he made and the boy who made him make it he whirled around and snarled, "What?" He hadn't expected a herbivore of all people to try to keep him in the room but that's just what Tsuna had done. He thought that when he turned he would see eyes filled with defiance someone ready to fight and scream but none of that was in the boy. Tears poured down his cheeks again and he was whimpering.

"Don't go…I'm scared to be alone…" And he wasn't scared to be with him? Hibari didn't like how Tsuna acted as if he wouldn't hurt him.

"I could easily bite you to death right now."

"I know." This was the first time that someone who knew he could injure them wanted him to comfort them. He gave the boy a once over and then grunted. Pulling the mess of a child up by his hands he brought him back to the bed he had jumped out of. He shoved him in and covered him with the blanket. "Sleep."

The dark-haired kid walked away and Tsuna sat up frightened that he was leaving. "Wait!" Then he saw the boy lift a chair from by the door and bring it next to the bed. He sat down in it and closed his grey eyes.

When there wasn't any sound of covering himself up the boy opened one eye. "Sleep now or I'm leaving." Quickly he obeyed but didn't fall asleep before asking, "If I woke you up where is your room?"

Hibari thought about it for a moment and decided telling Tsuna wouldn't do any harm. He hardly stayed in that place anyhow. "Three doors down. Sleep." He told him and this time he did as ordered. The dark veil of sleep took over him and he was no longer aware of what went on around him. He stifled a yawn himself and leaned back against his chair. He was going to wait a few minutes until he knew the kid wouldn't wake up if he left. Unfortunately the best of plans fail and exhaustion forced him to fall asleep. He slumped in the chair and fell into the bed next to the younger boy.

Asari was the first to regain his numbed senses and he laughed from the heart this time. "Isn't that cute. They are still both children after."

"Couldn't have expected this from that demon spawn."

"G, that is not something you should say about a child." G huffed at Asari but didn't say anything else. The sight was indeed cute, yet unexpected. Tsuna was cuddling together with the dark-haired boy, both deeply asleep. Even as they stood there Tsuna nested into the heat of the body next to him. The other child's arm had somehow wrapped around the brunette, which only made him come closer to his chest.

Smiling Giotto began to close the door thinking that having Tsuna here might calm the violent kid. Just then the door creaked and Hibari's eyes flashed open. Asari flinched slightly having seen this happen before and the results then weren't' pretty. Almost in slow motion he let of the brunette and sat up. His grey eyes never left them even as his fingers went around the vase on the bedside table. The three hadn't moved, frozen by the intensity of the boy's stare. Then with perfect aim the object flew out of his hand and went raging towards G's head. He never liked the man and it was a good opportunity to hurt him. "I'll bite you to death."

The trio disturbed his sleep. Again. Whenever he rested in an easily round spot at least one of these three idiots would be there to wake him up. With Asari's fast reflexes helping him the vase didn't hit G. He'd been pulled out of the way just in time. "Tch…" The red-haired man turned sprouting out nonsense but Giotto's hand covered his mouth before he cold wake up the other kid.

"Watch your language in front of children, G." And with that the three were gone leaving behind an unpleasant taste in the air. Still annoyed he looked down at Tsuna who lay beside him. He gritted his teeth harshly and told himself not to bite the herbivore. It wasn't his fault that he let sleep take him over here of all places. When he glanced down at him again he had to practically chant to himself, not to bite. Not to bite. If he bit him he would wake up and make noise. Getting up he left the room and forced his hand not to slam the door like it wanted to. _Day one casualties: Two vases broken._

The next day Hibari was wandering around the mansion in search of where they hid his tonfas. While looking outside he came upon an interesting sight. A cold and shivering Tsuna sat in the snow close to tears and whining slightly. The dark-haired boy kept himself quite a distance away and just observed him. He wore the shirt that he'd been in yesterday with nothing to protect him against the cold air. What in the world was that child thinking?

Tsuna had woken up late the next morning and he found out that no one was watching over him. The adults have yet to learn their mistake of leaving a little boy like that. They get curious and will try to look around. That's just what happened to the brunette he strayed too far from the house and didn't know the path back. In the beginning he didn't plan to stay outside for along so he hadn't changed his clothes with the ones that had been neatly placed on a dresser for him. The air seemed to grow colder and suddenly he coughed mixing it in with a sneeze.

Hibari was offended by this and went to him, planning to bite the herbivore to death. He arrived in front of Tsuna and the reaction he got couldn't be more unpleasant. The child leaped onto him crying and saying how he got lost. Irritated, Hibari pushed him away and nearly uttered his signature catch phrase yet he decided against it. If he bit the boy to death he'd probably never see his beloved tonfas again. Frustrated he stomped off to find something to do that could relive his anger and not get his tonfas permanently taken from him. So caught up was he in his madness that he didn't even notice the brunette trail after him silently.

Tsuna's tension left him the moment he set eyes on the older child. He helped him the night before why wouldn't he help him now? He hoped that the other never found out he was useless and clumsy, he might not help him after that was revealed. Suddenly, he thought about what could have happened to him if the grey-eyed kid hadn't found him. He would have frozen out here only a short distance away from a warm house. Tears ran down his face and he jumped towards his rescuer. The boy pushed him away looking anger but he marched off after that, showing him the way to the mansion.

Tailing after Hibari, Tsuna smiled to himself. The other child was so kind. He helped him twice so far and he didn't even know his name. Concluding that this was much needed information he chimed out, "What's your name?" For a spilt second the dark-haired boy's movements stopped almost as if he'd been surprised by something.

"A herbivore like you doesn't need to know." With that he continued along the curving path not even glancing at Tsuna.

Pouting, the brunette grumbled to no one in particular. "…But I want to know."

"Doesn't matter." Determined to get the boy's name he walked on with a march of decision. He'd pester him until he told him his name.

Finally they arrived and as soon as they were in sight a maid dashed out to meet them. She yanked her skirts high avoiding getting snow on them. The woman was young but with her brown hair tied up in a bun on her head it let her appear more mature than she actually was. Once she was close enough to them she dropped skirts and grabbed both children by their ears. "You naughty little boys. Primo had me looking everywhere for you." She turned her stern look upon Hibari and told him flatly. "Poor man thought you might have hurt this little thing here." She pulled on Tsuna's ear and he perched himself on his tippy-toes trying to relieve the pain. "Anyhow get your hineys in there." She smacked their butts and both jumped.

The children rushed to get in the house, even the dark-haired boy hurried along. Yet once they were inside he quickly put on his passive face and marched off. Tsuna tried to follow him but was caught by the maid. "Now now, no time for playing. Primo wants to see you." He wondered who Primo was as he ran to keep up with the maid. She showed him the way to Primo's office but before sending him in she leaned down and felt his cheeks. "As I thought, much too cold." She took off the shawl that covered her shoulders and placed it on his. "Won't do much but it will have to do for now."

Turning the woman knocked on the door and called out for Primo. The door opened quickly and Tsuna finally realized who the maid was talking about. Giotto stood at the entrance to the room and smiled at her. "Thank you, Bertha." She huffed, gave the brunette a little push that sent him into Giotto's legs and walked away.

Still surprised by the push Tsuna kept still, holding onto 'Primo's' leg. Noticing what he was doing he let go and backed up waiting to be hit for bumping into him. The strike never came even as he cringed away from the blonde man. Confused, he opened his eyes to see Giotto looking down at him, his face pale. Slowly, he lowered himself to be on the same level as the child. A hand came out to hold his shoulders, but not in anger like the boy was used to. He rubbed down his arms gently taking hold of his hands. "I won't hurt you, Tsuna, even if you do something wrong. Not that you did."

The child still looked at him with confusion and curiosity. No one ever told him he hadn't done anything wrong, especially when he clearly did. Sighing, the man stood up and took him into the room. Scattered around his office were his guardians.

Tsuna was pulled into the middle of the room and all their attention was placed on him. He didn't like the spotlight and wondered what they could want. Trying to find reassurance in this situation, he looked over to the gentle man, Giotto. He smiled at him and asked, "Could you strip for us, Tsuna?" The boy found this awkward and a little uncomfortable but did as asked. The reactions his disrobing caused unnerved him. There were a few gasps and he saw Lamp looking worried for once.

Suddenly, Giotto turned him around to face him completely and asked in a choked voice, "Who did this to you?"

Confused again, the brunette examined his bare body. Nothing was different and there wasn't anything to sound like that over. He peered up at Giotto wondering if he was alright in the head. Surprisingly, it was Alaude who broke the silence, "He doesn't understand what's wrong. It must be normal for him."

Knuckle came over and traced the yellowish bruises that covered his stomach. "These are healable." His fingertips touched his burn and his back that had welts all over it, to include them in that statement. "It will take time but there is a chance it won't scar badly." Then he poked a cigarette burn on his hip and a scar on his thigh, "These however won't disappear."

After looking over his wounds they allowed Tsuna to get dressed. Then Asari took him and had him sit on the sofa together with the guardians. "Tsuna…could you tell us about how this happened?" That was at least a question he was willing to answer.

"Fire, belt, cigarette, fists, glass shard."

Smile still in place the rain guardian continued, "Then, who did all those things to you?" That's when he clammed up. He knew that these people would get his father in trouble if he told them. His dad didn't deserve that kind of treatment, he only disciplined him when he did something wrong. He didn't hit him for fun or anything like that.

G moved over to him and this was the first time Tsuna saw him without pink dye on him. The shocked expression that came over his face was an incredible sight but then a blood-curdling scream escaped his mouth. He saw flashes of his father's tattoo and tried to push the people away who tried to find out what was wrong. Through the whole ordeal Tsuna's eyes never left G's face. Giotto was the first to realize this, "G, leave the room!" Concerned but compliant he hurried out of his friend's office. The brunette had covered his face by then in an effort to avoid looking at that hideous mark. He was nothing more than a shriveling mess. Giotto wrapped his arms around him and tried to calm the boy down but he struggled.

Tsuna felt like he was experiencing the pain all over again and he cried out, "I'm sorry…so sorry." He raised his face, his vision burry and all he could see was his father's belt as it came down to slash against his back, the smirk he wore as he did it. That was the discipline he suffered. The feeling of pain faded as he blinked his eyes and he could see what was really before him. The blonde man was shaking his shoulders and his kips were moving but he couldn't hear him, so absorbed in his world was he.

Giotto shook the boy as he raised his head and he saw his glassed over eyes. "Tsuna! Tsuna!" His yells of the boy's name echoed off the walls but the child just continued to apologize. "Tsuna!"

The brunette's hearing came back full force and he nearly grew deaf. He brought up his hand to cover the man's mouth. "Sto-stop screaming please…" The silence that came after that was almost as unbearable as the shouting was. Giotto sighed and let go of his shoulders, his hands shaking a little. He staggered back to his desk to lean against it and put one hand to his forehead. The other waved towards the door.

"You can go, Tsuna." Not needing to be told a second time he rocketed off not pausing to even look at G. The storm guardian came back in scratching his head and wearing a 'what the hell' expression on his face. "G, it was your tattoo, I think. Unless your face scared him witless that's what it was."

Asari piped up in laughter, "That might be a very real possibility. G's face as that effect on people, you know." The tension in the room immediately lessened with the normality of G yelling at the rain guardian_. Doing your job perfectly as always, Asari._ Yet, he did it with an insult this time, what happened was so bad that he couldn't even laugh it off saying it was alright.

Giotto couldn't help but be shocked at this event. The boy was injured more than he originally thought and his mental state wasn't in the best shape either. "Guys…" His voice stopped the bickering that had started among the guardians. "What can we do to help him?"

Trying his best not to think about that incident Tsuna, for the next few days followed the dark-haired boy whenever he saw him. In that week he found out a lot of things about the other child. He had a bird that came to visit him regularly, he liked high places, and would rather be alone then have someone with him. He was an uncontrollable being who listened to and was afraid of no one. At least anyone that wasn't Bertha, that maid scared just about everybody, expect Giotto, normally that is. A thing he quickly found out was that his favorite place was a tower that a much smaller staircase led to but it was just as rarely visited as Lampo's. It was blocked by a huge door and he believed no one even knew about it, the dust in the place always had him sneezing. Every day, he asked the boy the same question, the question that makes him following him around in the first place. 'What's your name' seemed to become his own special phrase. He said it at least five times a day and he has yet to get a satisfying answer.

This day wasn't different than any other that had passed so far. Tsuna chased Hibari about the mansion until they ended up in his secret tower. At the moment the dark-haired child was sitting in the window frame, admiring the view. Tsuna was jittery as he looked at him from a safe distance away. "That's dangerous! You could fall from there." The boy grunted and didn't even glance at him. "It is dangerous…come down please."

Aggravated, Hibari turned from the open window and glared at him. "Herbivore, it's perfectly safe. I haven't fallen at all this week have I?" No, it was true that he hadn't but it felt odd today. Like something bad was going to happen if he continued to sit there. The ominous feeling grew to tremendous proportions and Tsuna saw the window begin to shake. It couldn't have been an earthquake or anything like that because it was just the window that moved. The other boy took this as a challenge almost like a bull riding contest.

"Hiee! You have to get down from there." Hibari didn't listen to the brunette and remained where he was. _So stubborn! _Unfortunately for him that wasn't the right choice to make. The shaking went on and got harsher in the process. Suddenly, the dark-haired boy lost his grip on the ledge and fell backwards out of the window. Tsuna dove forward and pulled him back with all his strength. Sadly, to get him back inside he needed momentum, which lead him into tossing himself out by accident. Gravity took him and he went falling down to the ground.

The boy left in the tower turned and tried to grab for him but it was too late. Panicking slightly a thought broke into his mind, _don't die you stupid herbivore. _Not once had his eyes left Tsuna's falling form and he saw it. A halo like object appeared above his head glowing orange-violet and a thin layer of it surrounded him. The child hit the ground and he climbed out the window going down a story to stop when he was at the equivalent height of a second story building. Jumping down from that he landed on his feet. His body definitely felt the impact, his legs wanted to wobble as he went over to Tsuna.

When he was next to him he noticed that the kid was staring at him. Slowly the six-year old sat up, uninjured and only slightly dazed. Soon he was able to stand completely and grey eyes narrowed on the spot on the ground that was dented from the child's body. Or what should have been an indent of his body if there was an indent at all, but no it was a curved form almost like a solid bubble had hit it. Whatever he had seen just then was special, probably something that only the boy could do. Looking over at him he spoke in a low voice, "Hibari Kyoya."

* * *

><p><strong>Yay! Tsuna finally got Hibari to tell him his name. Longest chapter so far.<strong>


	7. Burglar?

**Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman Reborn and its characters do not belong to me, they belong to Amano Akira**

**-Chapter Seven-**

**Burglar?**

Screams rang out through the night air and in a dark room only one light shined. The silhouettes of people began a show, one of death. The smallest of the bunch grabbed one and shoved something down its throat. It stayed there for a moment but then let go and rushed back. An explosion happened and blood splashed onto the walls. "Stop him!" The figure turned and another group of people came to join in the game. Corpses littered the ground and it stopped their advance. The scene was gory, guts splattered about and a child covered in blood, unfazed.

Some ran shouting for help as he took something off the table and dashed towards them. Others had no chance; once he was passed them another explosion happened. In the aftermath the boy wiped his face to get the blood off and looked down at the dead bodies at his feet. He kicked one and then walked away.

Tsuna sat in a bed in the infirmary as Giotto rushed around gathering bandages. Asari stood beside him watching his friend, looking serious for a change. He patted the brunette's back, lightly so he wouldn't hurt it. "We heard from the maids. That stunt you pulled was dangerous." At his words Giotto tripped over a bandage that was dangling to the floor from his arms and he fell. "Haha, you know it's just a scratch! Tsuna said so himself." The boy lifted his knee to poke at the small wound there and sighed. He got it while getting up from the ground. His first free falling experience hadn't left him with any injures but he thought it better not to tell them that.

Like Asari said the maids, who saw his fall, must have reported it to the two men. After all, Kyoya wasn't going to tell anyone. After telling him his name he only went back inside not saying at thing about the incident and Tsuna was glad that he did so. It would be embarrassing to tell him that the only wounds he had were given to him by his own clumsiness. He hadn't told Asari or Giotto why he had fallen. He didn't even fully comprehend it himself. From that height he should have a few broken bones but there were none.

Hibari woke up from his sleep, a couple hours after Tsuna fell, to the sound of the maids chattering together. If he had his tonfas he would have bitten them to death but he didn't, so he just laid there hoping they'd go away. "Should we tell Primo about the little boy getting hurt?" He perked up at this. They must be talking about Tsuna but the child seemed fine when he left him. "No, let's wait until he finishes his paperwork. We shouldn't interrupt him." A few nodded their heads and decided upon that. Finished their disrupting talk they wandered off in all different directions to do the tasks assigned to them. Watching them go he jumped down from the top of the display case he'd been napping on. If that herbivore was hurt it was technically his fault and he hated owing people. Deciding on a course of action he went to catch one of the maids.

Hibari grabbed the woman by her skirts and she looked down at him questioningly and a little fearful of what the boy would do. He was famous within the mansion for his violent tendencies. "Show me where the medical supplies are or I'll bite you to death." Scared, she nodded and rushed towards the kitchen. He seemed uninjured so he probably just needed a small thing and the closest first-aid kit was in there. Now standing in the kitchen he looked around, "Where are they?" She pointed to the pantry.

Going over he examined the high shelves, cans lined them and he didn't see anything helpful. Then he raised his eyes higher and spotted a first-aid kit next to the woman's head. Turning she brought her hands up to get it, "I'll get it down for you."

Thinking she was hurting his pride as a man he kicked her lightly. "Don't touch it, Herbivore." The glare Hibari gave her had her rushing backwards. Taking hold of a large can he threw it up trying to dislodge the box from its spot. The can didn't do its job and only grazed the edge of it. Knowing not to get mad at the child because of the mess he was causing the maid silently waited a little outside the door.

A while later after a lot of clattering sounds and several cans jumping out of the room into the kitchen, Hibari walked out with his prize in hand. Setting it down on the floor he opened it and pulled its contents out. "How and for what do I use these things, Herbivore?" Surprised by his ignorance the maid gave him a long and tiresome explanation in what everything in the kit was used for.

"Herbivore, I didn't need to know all that." He glared up at her and spoke in an annoyed tone of voice, "Dismissed." The woman hurried off to get out of his close proximity and left him there with his new knowledge. Looking down at the things in his hands he decided to go with the Band-Aids. 'For little things' that's what the herbivore said. The tiny herbivore didn't have major wounds when he left him so it should just be a little cut or something.

The eight year old was proud of himself. He completed the task on his own and the herbivore should be grateful that he took time out of his day to do this for him. The brunette wasn't as bad as other herbivores, although he screamed and whined more than the others he still fearlessly followed after him for a week. Even if it was small he had the potential to at least be an omnivore. If he wasn't that good he wouldn't have done this for the herbivore.

Now that Hibari thought about it, with all the following him around that the boy did he probably didn't have the time to bond with anybody in the mansion. _That means I'm the closest to him…_He knew that he normally wouldn't be happy about that but he was. Going up the stairs he saw Ryohei zoom past the staircase towards the infirmary.

After Giotto swiped his clothes to get any dirt of that was there he started to clumsily clean and dress Tsuna's cut. The bandages weren't put on properly and they kept falling off. Suddenly the door burst open and Ryohei came marching in. "Tsuna's extremely hurt?" Covering his ears Giotto nodded and then resumed his task on the brunette's knee. Seeing how the blonde did this the older child grunted. "No, all that needs is a Band-Aid." He shoved his hand into his pocket and took one out. Going over to Tsuna he sat on the bed and placed it over the scratch. Giotto seemed impressed and slightly embarrassed that the white-haired boy could easily do this. Asari laughed at his friend and slung his arm over his shoulder.

Hibari stood in the dimly lit hallway fingering the Band-Aid in his hand. Laughter reached his ears and he leaned against the wall. He should have known earlier that the herbivore wasn't like him. The boy got along with people easily and had others to worry over him, to help him. Dropping the Band-Aid he walked off not wanting to listen to the cheery bunch. _I can't wait to get my tonfas back and leave._

After chatting for a while Asari looked at the clock. "I think it's best if these boys get to sleep now." He ushered Giotto and Ryohei out. "Tsuna should stay here just in case there is any after affects from the fall. Good night!" Tsuna watched them go, a little relived that he was finally alone. These people were nice but he was still being cautious. Waiting for them to get mad and throw him out. In the past week he hadn't seem much off them, especially G who didn't even come to the meals. The last time he'd seen the man was when he had a panic attack in the office. Besides when it was time to eat everyone avoided him.

Sighing, Tsuna stretched in bed. He wasn't tired and he didn't want to be alone. Remembering that Kyoya told him where his room was he got out of bed and went out into the hallway. His bare feet stepped on something and he lifted his foot to see what it was. A Band-Aid laid there and he wondered if Ryohei dropped it. Leaning down he picked it up and just knew that it wasn't Ryohei who left it there. He didn't know who it was but he did know that it was meant for him. Smiling, he silently said sorry to the white-haired child and tore the Band-Aid off his knee. He whined but tried not to cry out loudly.

Putting the new Band-Aid where the other one had been he grinned and dashed off towards Kyoya's room. Quietly, he pushed open the door and saw his friend laying on his bed. His back was to him and he didn't react to his presence like usual. "Kyoya, is it ok if I sleep with you?" He didn't hear an answer so he slowly entered the room, closing the door behind him. Approaching the bed he kneeled down on it. "Kyoya?" Still no reply so he placed himself as close to his friend as he could, to get his warmth back. The hallways were certainly cold! Soon the sleep he couldn't find before came to him.

Hibari sensed more than heard the door open and instead of immediately attacking whoever dared enter his room without even knocking, he waited. The number of people willing to do this was limited. The person he automatically ruled out was the laughing herbivore. The man was dumb but he was smart enough to know doing this would be a form of suicide.

Before he could put the knife under his pillow to good use the herbivore who invaded his territory spoke. It was the irritating brunette that wouldn't stop following him. Stopping to think about what he would do gave the other child time to get into the bed without incident. Almost instantaneously his breathing grew even and he knew he was asleep. Turning, he was careful not to wake him up. Thoughts of how fearless this boy was tossed around in his head and he found his hand touching his cheek. He didn't wake up at the feel of his hand this time, maybe because they were warm unlike before. Sighing, he gently rolled the blanket onto him and then laid back down, uncovered.

A shadow loomed across the ground as its owner walked throughout the streets. Stray beams of lights danced over his blue hair and he laughed when he looked down at the two test-tubes in his hands. With just these two chemicals he was able to escape that prison. He could have made it easier on himself and used his abilities but he didn't want to give them the satisfaction of knowing their experiments worked. It was a much more horrible death to have these chemicals mixed and shoved down their throats. The reaction wasn't immediate so he had the pleasure of watching their expression when they knew that they were going to die.

Now that Mukuro was free all he needed to do was find a place to stay the night. He was relatively sure that everyone within that building was dead but he dind't want to stay there. Dropping the test-tubes in the snow he went off to find a warm building to sleep in. He might not be tired now but he will be later, he needed to find a place while he isn't exhausted. The chemicals must have mixed because behind him he soon heard the sounds of an explosion, "Kufufu."

"You worthless girl!" A slapping noise reached Mukuro's ears and curious he turned to watch the scene play out. A little girl was being pushed out of a house. "Even if you're my daughter I don't care." A woman who must be her mother was the one doing the pushing. "I should have thrown you out when I found out about your illness. You are useless around the house, just an extra mouth to feed." The kid touched her eye and then the sound of a baby crying had her look up. Her mother was eyeing the inside of the house where a man with an infant in his arms stood. "Don't ever come back." With that last warning the door was slammed in her face.

Mukuro was going to ignore this and continue on his way but before he could he saw her eyes. The expression he'd wore recently was plastered on her face. It was the look of someone who wanted to do something but couldn't because they didn't have enough power. He felt a sort of pull towards her and a pricking pain from somewhere. Suddenly her tiny face twisted in pain and then flopped to the ground holding her stomach. Blood was coughed up and she lay in a pool of her own blood. So this was the 'illness' her mother spoke of? Not liking what he was doing he went over to her and waited for her to look at him. When she did he reached out to her laying his hand before her so she could take hold of it. "Join me? I'll give you the power you want."

Without much thought Nagi took hold of his hand. That was the last thing she remembered. A while later she felt a warm touch on her forehead and slowly she pried her eyes open. The boy that helped her was leaning over her now a wet cloth in his hand wiping the blood off of her mouth. Shy but wanting to know who he was she questioned, "I'm Nagi, and you?" It was then she noticed his red eye. Was he blind on one side like her?

He smiled at her in a gentle manner. "I'm Rokudo Mukuro." This was the first time anyone looked at her like that and it made her blush in happiness. "Do you want to go back to your family?" At that she shook her head hesitatingly. Even if hse wanted to go back she couldn't. "Ok, then you'll need a new name and look so they won't realize it's you if they see you." He placed a finger over his lips in a thoughtful pose. "Ah, you'll be Chrome Dokuro. Does that sound good?" She didn't quitter understand everything at this fast pace but she wouldn't say that to the boy who saved her.

"Yes, it does."

Grinning, Mukuro nodded, "Yes, Now that that is covered let's get to the appearance." Either Chrome didn't realize they were there before or the scissors appeared out of nowhere. She preferred to believe the former. "Time to cut your hair." The girl pulled at her purple locks, unsure. Well if this was what Mukuro wanted…She put up her head to give him a better angle at her hair then, _snip_. A weight fell off of her head; it went on like that for a few minute until the other seemed satisfied. "There." He gave her hair a push that fluffed it, "It's not morning yet so you can get some more sleep." She followed his orders and went straight to sleep.

When Chrome woke up again the sun was just rising in the sky. She sat up quickly as her eyes searched for Mukuro but he wasn't present. With her sick induced haze gone she could observe where she was. The room was enormous but didn't look all that great. Everything in here was broken in some way. Furniture that lay around was ripped in some places, garbage sat on the floor undisturbed. It looked awful but it was a warm place to stay. Several blankets covered her and she lifted them to see that she was sitting on a couch.

The door to the room opened and Mukuro walked in with more blankets in his arms. Tossing them onto a nearby chair he looked over at her. "We need to talk about what's wrong with you." Chrome tensed up at that. He'd leave her alone just like her family had if he knew this sickness was permanent. Seeing she was worried he patted her head, "It's ok. You can tell me anything." His tone was reassuring and it calmed her down considerably.

"I have a weak body, the doctors said my organs don't work the way they should." Chrome wouldn't raise her face from the floor. "The word they used was 'deteriorate'." She softly touched her abdomen and sighed. Next she brought her hand up and her fingers traced her right eye. It was a horrible sight; part of it was gouged out. "One of my little brothers got hold of a key and while playing with him my eye got hurt. I can't see out of it anymore."

Mukuro didn't seem effected by this information and only smiled at her. He pulled something out from behind his back and handed it to the girl. It was an eye-patch. "It will cover your eye so people won't run away from you." The blue haired child hadn't expected to keep her, after helping her a little and giving her the chance at a new life, he was going to kick her out. Now he wouldn't do that. He saw the streets for the first time in his life and knew an innocent looking girl like her would be useful. "I have use of you. So I won't abandon you." He'd felt a pull towards his girl earlier and some kind of pain but it was all gone now, yet he'd keep her.

Mukuro put his hand out to Chrome and this time she took it much more quickly than before. He smiled and pulled her up, "Let's go walk around the town." So the two headed out to observe the workings of the town. For Mukuro this was a first so he got a little excited. They went as far as their short legs could take them, never stopping for too long. "Chrome, who lives there?" He'd asked questions like this along the way but never one quite this hard.

"…The Vongola."

"Who?"

"…Mafia." He'd heard that word before. That was the same kind of gang who gave money to the doctors to keep up the experiments. He didn't remember the name of the group but if there was a mafia so close by then they probably were the ones. "Stay here. I'm going to go look." With his new abilities he would be able to obliterate them here and now but he needed to make sure it was them. Chrome did as told and didn't move as Mukuro approached the mansion. The windows were frosted over making it near impossible to see inside. So the little child pressed his face against the window.

Tsuna woke up in bed alone and feeling down that Kyoya left without trying to get him up. Pouting, he slid off the bed and went off to search for his friend. The first place he looked was his tower but he wasn't there. A little surprised he went around to all the other places that the boy liked. None held what he was searching for. Stomping off to the sitting room he plopped down on a chair. Muttering to himself he wondered where Kyoya ran off to. Usually it wasn't too hard to find the other boy. Sighing, he raised his head and his eyes met with those of another.

The scrunched up face in the window had Tsuna screaming loud enough for some of the ornaments in the room to shake. "HIEE!" He fell out of his chair and crawled away from the window. The one to show up first after his screams was Knuckle.

"What's wrong, Tsuna?" He pointed to the window which now had no face in it but the impression was still there. "Ah, a burglar! I'll catch him." With that he rushed out of the room to go catch the 'thief'.

Mukuro was surprised to see a kid inside the mansion but more shocked by how powerful his lungs were. His ears were still ringing as he dashed across the yard to get to Chrome. He almost made it to but exhausting from not sleeping the night before caught up to him. His legs wobbled slightly and when he tried to use his eye against the man in robes running after him he couldn't. _Damn it! I'll get stronger for sure._ That was his thought as the man caught him by the collar of his shirt. Chrome, shocked by his capture came out to help him but she wasn't of much use at that point. She too was caught. "Let's bring you two inside now…Although, you don't really look like any kind of burglar I know of."

* * *

><p><strong>Even to me this chapter seemed rushed…<strong>


	8. Shopping

**Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman Reborn and its characters do not belong to me, they belong to Amano Akira**

**-Chapter Eight-**

**Shopping**

After catching the two 'thieves' Knuckle brought them into the mansion to ask Giotto what he should do with the burglars-turned-children. He didn't get too far into the mansion with the kids. Knuckle only took two steps in when a whole group of Mafiosi came out of nowhere, armed and ready to fight. It was nothing new to the man, this has happened to him several times but this was different. The group of Mafiosi was his co-workers.

They were surprised by seeing him at the door but instinct had taken over for one of them. If there was a scream of terror then there was an invasion and if there was an invasion the first instinct was to attack wasn't it? At least that's how Daemon later explained his actions. His scythe was moving too fast to stop and it went rocketing towards the ex-boxers head. More than half of the group believed that this was Daemon taking revenge on Knuckle for all those melon comments he'd said.

Mukuro's vision was blurry but he could make out the shape of a sharp object heading his way. With the very last ounce of strength he had he formed an illusion of a shield. He'd purposefully made it large in case the weapon was aiming at Chrome, his new found loyal dog that he didn't want to lose just yet. Coincidently, that also blocked the area where the scythe was really going towards, Knuckle's head.

Daemon was shocked by the sudden illusion in his path but more so when his weapon actually hit the shield. It was solid but still soft enough to dispense at the pressure against it. Luckily the illusion stopped the scythe long enough for him to pull it back. His eyes narrowed on the male child whose head hung, unconscious. The boy was the one to form this reality-like- illusion, the air around him was the same as the shield's. As dark and unpleasant as it was it worked.

The group stood there just like that until Giotto came blasting through the hallway. "Is Tsuna ok?" His quick speed disappeared when he saw his guardians. Golden eyes locked onto the two people who didn't belong in this picture. "…Knuckle, may I ask who those kids are?" He could already sense that they'd be trouble and not just because they looked like his mist guardian. The tension within the crowd was obvious and he guessed the cause was the children.

Once Knuckle was gone Tsuna was left in the sitting room alone. With the frightful encounter still fresh in mind his legs wouldn't listen to him and he was stuck on the floor. That's how Kyoya found him when he walked into the room. The older child raised his eyebrow at him, "What was the scream for, Herbivore?" Shaken, Tsuna couldn't' answer and again pointed to the window the held the impression of the face that was quickly fading.

Hibari stared at it for a few seconds then turned on his heel to go find the culprit that left the glass like that. Yet before he could get out of the room, small hands grasped the end of his shirt. "Don't go…" There it was again, the brunette's strange habit of wanting someone like him around to comfort him. He'd thought it would wear off but apparently it hadn't. No, instead it got worse. The herbivore was almost sitting on his foot in the effort to keep him where he was.

He looked down at the herbivore that kept his eyes closed, lip quivering. This face of his was nothing like what he saw earlier in the day when he woke up. It had been so peaceful, not even being disturbed when he poked his pudgy cheeks. In fact he'd nested deeper into the covers not wanting to be woken. Hibari had mixed feelings about his reaction then. There had been a warmth spreading through his chest and he leaned down to kiss his cheek. The boy wiggled around at that but didn't awaken. Confused by what he did he left the room quickly and had hid himself from the other child.

A nearly indistinguishable blush blossomed at the memory and he tapped Tsuna's chin to make him look up. Tears were filling his brown eyes but they disappeared once he realized that he wasn't going anywhere. Hibari pressed harder on his chin and forced him to his feet. Their height difference wasn't huge but it was still quite large. He lowered his head and pressed his lips to the brunette's surprised ones. Then he pulled back roughly, knowing he probably shouldn't have done that. He'd get attached to this child and then the herbivore would leave. He turned his face away quickly when he noticed the other's eyes on him.

They stood there like that until shouting erupted from somewhere close by. Running footsteps reached their ears and Kyoya swirled around, prepared to attack anyone that came if they were a threat. When Lampo appeared at the door he flinched at the glare sent towards him. "Oi! Brats, follow me. We might need people your age to get close to them." With that he ushered the two out of the room, "We're going to the infirmary if you wanted to know."

Dragging the two kids along, Lampo hurried to the infirmary. Earlier in the entryway no one got the chance to ask the strange children anything. The boy fainted and that started chaos. Knuckle lost his grip on the girl and she immediately clawed at him to get him to let go of the other child. Alaude, being who he was had disappeared without a trace once he realized there was no danger and therefore no need to crowd. With him gone there was no way to restrain her because Daemon selfishly decided not to help. Knuckle didn't want to but he knocked her out and told them that she would wake up fast. The group rushed Daemon's look-a-likes to the infirmary with astonishing speed. Through this whole ordeal G hadn't let go of Lampo and he got suckered into gathering these brats.

Along the way to their destination Tsuna tripped a few times and slowed them down. Wanting to get this crowding over with Hibari grabbed the brunette's hand with his free one, since the other one had been taken by Lampo who'd decided that if he didn't then the black-haired boy would run off. He was right but it was still insulting that he needed to be brought like this while Tsuna didn't. Hibari tightened his hold on his hand and tugged on it whenever he fell too far behind.

Lampo paid no mind to them, scared of G's threat that if he did not get them there fast he'd be the one in the infirmary. With their pace if didn't take long for them to meet up with the rest. Once they were safely in the room Lampo let his lazy nature take over and he sat down in a chair. He fanned himself like he'd just run a marathon and not just a few hallways. G wasn't even in the room! He should have known that as long as he was with Tsuna he'd be safe from that stupid man.

Tsuna noticed that when they entered the infirmary Kyoya didn't let go of his hand. He remembered long ago that a little girl he used to play with always dropped his hand once they weren't alone anymore. It felt refreshing not having someone ashamed of touching him. He grinned broadly, happy as could be. Suddenly, he realized the tense atmosphere in the room and he huddled closer to his friend. The adults were eyeing two kids on the bed with anticipation.

Soon, like Knuckle said the girl twitched and woke up. Her uncovered eye moved rapidly, taking it all in. Getting up on her knees she threw her body over the boy's in a protective way. Staring at them she waited for their next move. Asari was the first and only one to go forward. They gazed at each other for a few minutes until his smile got wider and he tried to start a conversation. "Is he your nii-chan?"

Chrome didn't know what the word was but she shouldn't let on that she couldn't understand. That might be some kind of trap. "…Yes." Asari either didn't notice his slip up or ignored it altogether, thinking she knew Japanese.

"Will you let us see what's wrong with him?"

"N-no…" Chrome pressed herself tighter against Mukuro, not wanting to let strangers near savior. She stood up all the bed completely, forcing her shaking legs to do so. Frightened but determined, she tried to make herself seem bigger. "I won't let you touch him." None of them even blinded at this and to gain more confidence, she imagined that she was scary. There were a few gasps around her as she squeezed her eyes closed. Surprised, she blinked and stared at the group in front of her. They were fixated on something behind her. Turning her head she saw an enlarged version of herself. The transparent image's lips were moving but no sound come out. Only she realized it as the movements she made when she screamed.

"Pfft…what a weak illusion." _Illusion, is that was this is? _Knowing it was a projected image that she made Chrome concentrated on throwing what she was thinking outward. Suddenly the illusions solidified more and a raging roar escaped its mouth. With this new knowledge the girl glanced over at them, observing their reactions. Her one eye swept the room and fell on three boys. Two were close together, while the other one was near the adults. The smallest boy's head was completely covered by that black-haired child's arms that were wrapped around it, preventing him from hearing or seeing what was happening in the room.

Chrome decided to ignore the implication that having children here made. Until she could confirm it these people were bad guys and must not be let near Mukuro. Not trying to make herself scary anymore she dispensed the illusion and thought up new ones. The kind that made people wonder how a kid such as herself could think up such horrifying visions.

When the new illusion appeared Asari's smile dimmed, Daemon twitched, Ryohei got a choked "Extreme" out and Lampo froze. His eyes were widened in fright but he couldn't even get a scream out. It was good that he fainted or the whole town would have heard his shout when he got it out. Knuckle closed his eyes in prayer while Kyoya smirked. _This girl may be fun 'play' with._ Tsuna was left out of the loop not being able to react to what he didn't know was there.

Just then the brunette felt a light tickle on his bare leg. The oversized shirt was the only thing he wore since he came to the mansion and because of that he could feel the contact immediately. Pushing the arm off that was around him he looked down to see what was on him. An eight legged creature crawled up his leg and a scream tore through his throat. "Hiee!" He jerked around until the spider fell of and not realizing that he was getting closer to far scarier things he jumped onto the bed. Then raising his head he caught sight of what was behind the girl. Tears sprang from his eyes and he cried out for help. Now this was when it got weird. Most everyone in the room would have thought he would shout for an adult, someone that could help him. Yet the name he yelled out was, "Kyoya!" The only person that usually wouldn't come to anyone's aid was that very person. "Make it stop, Kyoya!"

With inhuman speed Hibari dashed forward and covered the herbivore's ears to block out the beasts screeches that echoed throughout the infirmary. Tsuna closed his eyes tight and covered the hands over his ears with his own. Hibari spoke even though he knew the herbivore couldn't hear him. "Calm down, Herbivore….calm down."

Chrome couldn't be more fascinated with the sight before her. How great friendship was! Looking down at them from her standing position, she noticed the glare Hibari was giving her. "Stop those illusions or I'll bite you to death." Without her meaning to the images grew transparent again. The threat itself wasn't what scared her; it was the tone it was said in.

"Kufufu…who dares threaten my dear Chrome?" The illusions within the room completely dispensed as Mukuro rose from the bed. He kneeled next to Chrome who he pulled down to be at level with him and the two others. His mismatched eyes took in the postion Hibari and Tsuna were in and smiled. "You hurt mine, I hurt yours." Except for Hibari not a signal person in the room understood what he meant but in response his arms tightened around the brunette.

Instant dislike had risen between the two boys. Letting go of Tsuna, Hibari threw himself at the blue-haired child. They collided in a mixture of limbs and to keep chrome from the scuffle Mukuro pushed her away. She slammed into Tsuna t the same time that Hibari hit Mukuro. The prickly pain that they hadn't bothered noticing before disappeared.

Ryohei, who'd stood silently this whole time couldn't take it anymore. "I want to extremely join!" With that he tossed himself onto the bed. He landed in between the two small groups. One foot against chrome's shoulder and each of his hands on Hibari's and Mukuro's thighs. Where they were planted was suggestive and it had both boys twitching in anger.

"Don't touch me, Herbivore."

"Kufufu, me to. No touchy."

Two separate feet kicked his face and the force flew his body back. His feet switched location with his neck and his head landed in Chrome's lap. "Oh, hello extreme girl." In the process of pulling away from her he accidently placed his hand over Tsuna's crotch.

"You want to die?" Ryohei glanced back and saw that Mukuro along with Hibari were hovering over him. The expressions on their faces didn't deem well for him. I few minutes later the guardians were trying to pry the three boys off each other. It seemed they had new editions to their family.

A week passed by swiftly and a new day began with the call for a meeting. It wasn't a call for a meeting done formally. No, Giotto just stormed out of his office and bellowed in the loudest voice he could muster, "MEETING!" Even Lampo, who usually took his sweet time getting to the conference room, hurried to get there. If Giotto was already pissed off and he showed up late it would only fan the flames of his anger. Once they were all inside the conference room the blonde slammed his fist on the table. "Daemon, why did you want to keep that monster? Mukuro causes too much trouble!"

"Nufufu…never did I say I wanted to keep him. I only wished to keep Chrome."

Nails scraped across the metal surface of the table as Giotto glared at him. "They are brother and sister, you can't tear them apart. Family! Do you hear me? They are family!" That reminded him of something else and he turned on Asari. "Why did you teach the children that word? All I hear lately is nii-chan this, nii-chan that. They are not even siblings, why tell them to call each other that?"

Asari blinked rapidly trying to comprehend, while in utter disbelief, why his friend was saying this. Alaude sighed leaning his head on his hand. "Giotto, stop behaving like a child. It was your own fault."

Everyone gave their attention to the tall blonde, wondering if he'd tell them just what had pissed their commander off this much. G slammed his foot onto a nearby chair, "Bastard, tell us what happened so we can calm him down!" In shame Giotto buried his face in his arms. He didn't want to remember what had just gone down in his office…

It'd been another one of his bright ideas that went horribly wrong. Since the day Mukuro and Chrome arrived, Kyoya fought the other boy every time they crossed paths. It had gotten to the point where Alaude needed to give the child his tonfas back just so he could defend himself. No one really knew or wanted to know why Mukuro chose to fight with a trident instead of using his illusions to escape. Yet because of his choice the place the two met in always ended up with broke pieces of things scattered around.

Giotto thought that if he got the children into his office, they'd cause a ruckus and if while stopping it coffee just happened to stain his paperwork, well no one would think that strange. It should have been a good plan but it didn't go the way he wanted it to. When his paperwork had coffee spilled on it he went in between them to stop the fight but he was easily tossed aside. His back hit the wall and he wondered why a seven-year-old cold put so much strength behind a trident.

Earlier, when they'd come into the room they tried to restrain themselves from attacking each other, not wanting to upset the owner of the mansion. Yet all that flew out the window when Kyoya told Mukuro to call him nii-chan, since he was older. Asari taught them that it was a sign of respect for someone older and when the younger child didn't use it he decided a fight was necessary. The two wouldn't stop until Chrome came to fetch Mukuro. In front of her he behaved better, if only a little bit. He wouldn't ever try to seriously kill someone when she was around. If he succeeds the sight might traumatize her. He left the skylark unsatisfied with the fight and went with her. Soon after Hibari exited the room leaving Giotto there alone, angry and frustrated. That's how this meeting was started.

While Alaude comforted Giotto in his twisted way the guardians looked among themselves. Although some didn't want to do what they were about to do there were a few that couldn't care less about the torture they were going to throw on their boss. Daemon was one of them so he started the topic. "You haven't had time to bond with the children while you were doing paperwork…we felt bad so we all chipped in and completed them for you. The papers that were left are now ruined." Hearing this Giotto perked up but before he was finished all happiness would be wiped out of him. "All of us are busy today and the maids took the day off. The kids need someone to watch over them or the mansion will be destroyed. Have fun!"

Mist filled the room and when it was gone Daemon was also. The smart ones also escaped along with him. Left in the room were Giotto, Knuckle and Lampo. It was silent for a second until there was a small mutter, "No…" Knowing what was about to happen, Lampo made a run for it, Knuckle however did not. Suddenly, he was grabbed by his shoulders and his boss was staring up at him. "Now, Knuckle God wouldn't want you to leave a friend in this situation would he?" Trying to look anywhere but at Giotto he resisted nodding his head. "There is no way you could leave me like this right?"

Closing his eyes Knuckle pushed the blonde away and dashed off. "I'm extremely sorry, Giotto!" Now alone in the conference room the boss of the Vongola fell to his knees, how did it end up like this, with his guardians not listening to him? They were out to get him for sure. Leaving a sane man with those children was a death sentence. There were some he wasn't so worried about, Tsuna and Chrome seemed like good kids but…Ryohei was far too loud and Hibari mixed with Mukuro wasn't good for anyone. Sighing, he stood up, it would be a long day filled with misery. He went to search for some rope so he could get on with his task.

Tsuna had been sitting in Kyoya's lap with a difficult book in his hands, pretending to be smart, when the door to the library burst open. There stood a panting Giotto with Mukuro and Ryohei tied up tightly by his side. Chrome was behind him quietly staring at the lollipop in her hand. She was baffled that the man tried to bribe her after tying up Mukuro. Yet she was more curious about what he handed her, she knew it was food but she'd never seen it before.

Ryohei caught Giotto tying up Mukuro and thought it was a game. "I extremely won't let you catch me!" The last half-hour was tracking the white-haired boy down and getting him to hold still long enough for the rope to get around him. He hadn't planned on needing to also tie Ryohei up but he had tried to run. Now it was time for the last battle, Kyoya. It was obvious the child wasn't going to come willingly. Never would he do something so foolish as to hang out with a crowd. "We're going shopping."

It'd been a spur of the moment idea. To keep an eye on all five children in a large house like this was impossible. He thought the kids might behave a little better if they were in public. Plus all the children, expect Ryohei, needed new clothes. The maids were sick of rewashing so many clothes a week. Tsuna's eyes lit up at the prospect and he laid his head back onto Kyoya's shoulder. "Can we Kyoya-nii?" The dark-haired boy who'd been about to laugh in Giotto's face, thought it through and then nodded.

"Fine, Herbivore." Tsuna shouted with glee and jumped up; dropping the book he was holding onto Hibari's foot. Giotto had been surprised by the skylark's acceptance and didn't notice the sudden danger the brunette was in until it was too late. He stepped forward just as Tsuna was thrown across Hibari's knee. He wondered why he'd bite him to death in that position but the question was answered for him in the child's next words, "Punishment will be a spanking." As the tonfa came down the victim squealed but the hits were light. Once the punishment was over Tsuna was crying and Giotto stood there staring at them, shell-shocked.

Hibari leaned down towards the crying brunette and pointed him in the forehead, hard. "Stop crying, Herbivore." His eyes went lower and he examined the child's bare legs. The shirt this time went a little past his knees and wouldn't do for a trip outside. "We're leaving, get some pants on." With that he ran his hand under the shirt. When he touched underwear he stopped. "You'll get cold if you don't wear any." Tsuna gasped at the cold touch but nodded. The hand was taken away but the coolness lingered. "Hurry up." Rushing off he went to get dressed.

A little while later they were all gathered at the door, Giotto tightened the ropes and made his two captives stand up. "We can leave now." The group set off for the town after that was said. The three kids that were free stayed together by the force of Tsuna. He'd held onto Kyoya's hand from the beginning but seeing the girl standing all alone he took hold of her hand with his unoccupied one. The skylark growled but did nothing to stop it; the pineapple girl wasn't that bad anyway.

Their arrival at the shops was wonderful. Nothing went wrong, the kids just picked out what they wanted. The only odd thing was there tastes. Mukuro chose camouflage and also picked for Chrome. The girl didn't protest at all as he grabbed things five-year-olds shouldn't be wearing. It showed that he didn't know too much about what was proper. Kyoya found things that were too formal for his age and Tsuna, well he didn't know what to choose so Giotto picked for him. The kids learned that Giotto was not good with colors and that if the brunette didn't want to be embarrassed he'd still need to wear the clothes at the house.

With their task done Giotto checked his watch and breathed a sigh of relief. The day was almost over and nothing bad happened. Smiling, he pulled on the rope to tug his little friends along but there was no weight on the other end. Grin fading he slowly turned his head to see that no only were Mukuro and Ryohei gone but so were the other three. "Tsuna? Where are you, Chrome? You shouldn't wander off." His voice was shaking and he was thinking about what his guardians would say when they knew.

Suddenly, from a couple stores down, there was shouting. "Damn you, Kids! Where are your parents? Stop this right now. UGG!" Paling, Giotto made a mad dash towards the area where he heard the yelling come from. His anxieties went up a notch when he saw what kind of store it was. The sign that read 'Hardy's Hardware Store' sent a shiver down his spine. What were those kids gonna do in a place with heavy machinery. Forcing himself to turn the door handle he pushed open the only barrier that kept him from hell. The first thing he spotted calmed him slightly, Tsuna was the only one in sight and he had a hardhat on, seemly sitting there peacefully.

Then he noticed how the boy was clutching the helmet to his head whimpering. He was about to step forward to try and comfort him but something told him not to. He thanked his hyper intuition as a hammer flew through the air where he would have been standing if he hadn't stayed put. From his other side a screwdriver came out of nowhere and both tools hit against each other, knocking them to the floor. "I extremely don't like the use of weapons, Hibari!" Ryohei came out from the general area that the screwdriver came from. Giotto turned his head quickly expecting the other boy to come out but he didn't. "Fight like a man and drop the tonfas!"

What had happened to make these two fight in such a short time frame? It couldn't have been long since they escaped his watch, right? The top of Hibari's head popped up from the very top of a high shelf. He must have climbed all the way up there, good muscles for a kid. Wait that's not what he should be thinking now! "Get down from there or you'll hurt yourself." The skylark glared and didn't move from his perch. Ryohei and him began a staring contest that consisted of mostly the former yelling at the later to come down.

That would keep them busy for a little while so Giotto tried to remember the number of children that he was babysitting. Three were in front of him, so there was…two more. The worst two possible at that. It was bad for Mukuro and Hibari to be together but wore for Chrome to be with him. When the two boys met they fought and broke things but with Chrome he used illusions, mind breaking illusions.

At that moment there was a loud bang and shelf after shelf went falling down like dominoes. Giotto noticed Mukuro doing his signature laugh beside the first fallen shelf, trident in hand. The child's eyes were focused on Hibari sitting at the top of the last domino to go down. With a finally chuckle he pulled Chrome, who'd been standing behind him, frightful, and went to a display case. "I'll save him." His voice was monotone and not sincere in the least. Seeing the falling shelves, Hibari started to climb down but he wouldn't make it before it toppled.

Mukuro cracked the glass on the display case and Giotto realized that there was knifes in it. He didn't know what the blue-haired kid was thinking of doing to try and save the skylark but he knew he shouldn't let it happen. Going into hyper dying will mode he pushed the shelf Hibari was on backwards into the other falling shelf. Grabbing the child by his shirt he held on so he wouldn't fall along with everything else. Then he lowered him to the ground, glad he was alright. His reward? A smack in the face by tonfa. With a huff the kids went over to Tsuna, removing the hardhat. Now, slightly pissed off by being hit he pulled out the rope. "Time to leave."

Later that night the guardians came back to the mansion. Each wondering just what their boss would look like after today. The surprise on their faces couldn't be hidden when they saw Giotto calmly reading the paper in the sitting room, drinking tea, a rope lying at his feet. G was the first to question this, "…Giotto, what happened?"

The blonde man waited a minute, sipping some more of his tea before replying but not answering the question, "Those monsters are up in their rooms."

Lampo stared at him with a bored expression on his face, secretly curious. "You tamed the beasts? Today must have been a good day."

Giotto's head jerked up from the paper. "Good? It was hell!" He lowered the newspaper to show off the rest of his face and body. Red marks marred his skin and he scratched one. "Tonfas hurt like crazy. Do you know how much effort it took to control them? I'm exhausted! Next time it's your turn." With that he marched off head held high but the guardians had to try to hide their laughs. On their friend's butt was three holes evidence of a trident.

**It's late but chapter eight is here!**


	9. Revenge

**Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman Reborn and its characters do not belong to me, they belong to Amano Akira**

**-Chapter Nine-**

**Revenge**

Mukuro laid on his bed rubbing his midsection in annoyance. There was a mark left from that dumb blonde tying him up. For some odd reason he tightened the rope the most around him and not the others. Had he done something wrong? He'd only tried to 'save' Kyoya. Chrome and Tsuna were the only ones who didn't get the rope treatment. Even after they got back Giotto kept them like that, releasing them only when he saw the guardians coming back. The boy stopped his massaging and rolled onto his side, pleased now that the area was less painful. He'd get his revenge on that man later.

In the early morning light of the next day the doors to another mansion were pushed open by small pale hands. The child ripped a bow off from around his neck and stomped on it. "Screw you old man." He held up his middle finger to the closing door and then rushed off.

Then the door that just closed opened and a little girl cried out, "Gokudera, get back here-desu!" The shout only made the silver-headed boy run faster. "You can't do this to Haru. Come back!"

While short legs ran away from one mansion, in another Mukuro was talking to the group of kids that lived in the Vongola mansion. Chrome stood behind him as he tried to convince the others that revenge was necessary. Tsuna held onto Kyoya so he wouldn't do something violent but he wanted to leave himself. Mukuro was creepy and he looked an awful lot like that demon Daemon, so anything he had to say would be bad. He confirmed that, noting the boy's want for revenge. Even if he wanted it couldn't he do it alone and not drag the rest of them into it. Ryohei was also too willing to go along with it. Well, he was probably miffed that he could be dragged about like that so easily.

The truth was even Kyoya seemed more compliant than usual; he didn't say no right off the bat. Instead he just grunted and said, "I can just bite him to death." Tsuna, knowing whatever was about to be said would make his friend furious. Clung harder to him.

"You'll 'bite him to death'? Good luck you've already tried that and look how it ended up, with rope marks on your wrists and stomach." Hibari's glare intensity went up as he glowered at the pineapple boy. He raised his tonfa, which came out of nowhere, but Tsuna stopped him by jumping into his lap.

"Don't do it, Kyoya-nii!"

"…Fine, Herbivore." The tonfa disappeared and the brunette relaxed slightly.

Ryohei decided to speak then, "I say we extremely do this." He scratched his cheek lightly as Tsuna stared at him, "Giotto deserved it for treating us roughly."

Tsuna gasped, even Ryohei-nii wanted to do this. How mean they were! "You can't. It isn't good; Giotto-nii saved you, right, Kyoya-nii?" For some reason him saying that only seemed to fuel the skylark's anger.

"Don't try to talk to me while we do this, Herbivore." His words along with his glare was directed at Mukuro. Slowly his arms trapped Tsuna and forced the boy up against his chest completely. "Also, if you touch what's mine I'll bite you to death." He raised his tonfa threateningly.

"Kukuku, ok Kyo-chan." He used another word Asari taught them and the use of it didn't seem appropriate for the boy he attached it to. Kyoya had Tsuna out of his lap so quick that the child was sure he got whiplash. When the brunette's vision focused he saw Ryohei holding a snarling Kyoya back.

As this happened, close by the mansion a door to a house was knocked on. A little boy stopped coloring and looked up from where he lay on the floor. "Takeshi, can you get that? I'm in the bathroom." The child yelled a yes back to his father and got up to see who was visiting them. It'd been awhile since they had visitors. A whole two years! No one really wanted to come over after his mom died. Before she passed away the only ones who stopped by were her friends, something his father didn't have.

Once Takeshi opened the door he looked up at the faces of people he did not recognize. "Hey, Kid! Where's your dad?"

He blinked up at them unsure if he should tell them or not. "Bathroom." He was weary of them but they said they were friends of his dad's so he let them in. It was surprising that his dad had friends but even more shocking that they were this type, gangster-like.

The three men sat down on their couch and one stared at him. "Ya know your pops used to be a fine man."

"He's still a fine man."

"Yeah, but he used to be a fine man who played with guns." He pulled one out then flicking his finger over the trigger. The bathroom door opened before Takeshi could completely process that information. His dad came out wiping his wet hands on his pants like always. When he saw the men sitting there something in his face changed.

He held out his hands, "Takeshi, come here." The boy did as told, not understanding why his dad hugged him so close to his body once he did. "What are you doing here?"

"Come on, can't we visit our senior?" The man who'd stared at him earlier stood up. His dad put him behind his back, watching the young man tossing his gun from hand to hand.

"Well, ya are right to be worried. The gunners finally want you died. Ya know too much and they know there is a rat."

Takeshi gripped his father's arm tightly afraid about what they were saying. Suddenly, he felt his dad push him into the bathroom. After he was inside the door was closed, worried for his dad he began to shake the handle of the door, "Let me out!" Then there was shots fired and he flinched. He placed his ear against the door but he fell backwards shocked by the sound. His dad…they were hurting his dad! He got up and proceeded to slam his hands on the door but he heard talking.

"Move old man or do ya want me to shot ya again? If we can kill the boy than we can say that we scared ya enough and ya won't talk." With Takeshi's palm to the door he felt the pressure against it and knew his father was leaning there, protecting him. "None of us wanna kill ya, Senior. Yet, if we have to…"

"You'll have to." That voice was his dads but it didn't seem like it at all. It was cracked and out of breath, something he'd never thought he'd hear his dad sound like.

"If ya insist but he's gonna die anyway." Takeshi could only cry as the seconds ticked by and then there was a loud gun shot. This happened so fast. Minutes ago, both him and his father were enjoying a peaceful day and now this. Did death come that easy or was this all a dream? He stood there, immobile, even as he heard them moving his dad. Would his dad die in vain, trying to protect him? Could he, having heard his father announce that he would rather die than have him killed? No, it was a simple answer. Although his heart raced and he jumped wanted this short but seemingly long moment to end, he grabbed onto the window. Lifting himself up and out of the house he landed on the hard ground. He couldn't let this moment end if he did wouldn't that mean that they'd caught him? That's the only thing that could end this chase, his death.

Tsuna gaped at the tools in front of them. Where in the world did Mukuro find all this? The very thought that these would be used for revenge left a sick feeling in his stomach. As he raised the razor blade into the light he thought, _poor Giotto. _The other objects weren't as bad but horrifying when mixed together. Gasoline and matches shouldn't be in a child's like Mukuro's hands, it just spelled disaster. The brunette hadn't even been alright with this when the revenge was supposed to be a prank but now that this was going to hurt the man…well that wasn't right.

"I don't think this is a good idea."

All eyes turned on him and stared. Yet, Ryohei was the only one to say something, "Tsuna, these things are not to extremely hurt him. They're only to extremely scare him." That calmed the child a bit and he nodded slowly, still not entirely sure about this. He watched as Mukuro melted a brown candle. The older boy smiled at him and laughed in his creepy way.

"Are you sure that won't poison him?" Mukuro nodded not removing his mismatched eyes from the candlestick. The kids were all gathered in the kitchen and there were no maids or cooks around. One look from Kyoya sent them flying out of the room for safety measures. The skylark in question was leaning against the counter, waiting for the wax to be prepared. Chrome dropped the last scoop of ice cream into the bowl and brought it over to Mukuro. Smiling, he poured the blackish brown wax onto the chocolate ice-cream.

With the dish now finished the blue-haired boy handed it to Ryohei. "Bring that to Giotto." The child's fist darted into the air and then he rushed off. He soon appeared at the blonde man's office door and he knocked loudly.

"Come in." Sighing, Giotto put his pen down wondering which one of his guardians wants to complain about something. When instead of an irritated guardian, Ryohei walked in armed with a treat he smiled. "Yes, Ryohei?"

"This is extremely for you." The white-haired kid placed the bowl down and dashed out of the room. Glancing down Giotto saw that the ice-cream was chocolate and made a face. Chocolate wasn't his favorite thing, vanilla was the only thing that tasted good to him. He didn't want Ryohei to feel offended that he didn't eat the treat graciously given to him but he couldn't eat it. He stared at the ceiling trying to decide what to do. His problem was solved for him though, when he saw a glutton walk in.

Lampo went into Giotto's office to hand him his mission paperwork and he expected the man to throw a fit about getting more work but he didn't. Instead there was a gleam in his eye and he smiled. "Lampo, come sit down." The blonde stood and pushed him to sit down where he had just been sitting. He handed him a spoon and jerked his thumb towards the bowl. "A treat for you. So how'd your mission go?"

Scratching his head, confused, Lampo glanced at his boss. "I-It was ok. Asari wanted me to tell you that he'll still be out for some time today. It's taking longer than expected." Taking hold of the spoon as he wasn't one to deny food he got a spoonful and shoved it into his mouth. The ice-cream was chocolate and everyone knew Giotto didn't like it so it wasn't shocking that he'd give it to him. The thing that was weird was that he even had it in the first place. Deciding to ignore the warning sign he continued to eat the cold treat.

When he finished he got up from the seat taking hold of the bowl to go clean it. The ice-cream tasted somewhat funny but he hadn't let that bother him. He was thinking about the taste some more when Giotto grabbed his hand. "Leave the bowl here." If Ryohei came back he could show him the empty bowl for proof that he ate it. The man was glad he thought of that because at that moment the door opened and the very child he'd been thinking about walked in.

"I'll bring your bowl to the kitchen for you." Giotto smiled at him and handed Ryohei the dish. The boy saluted, gave Lampo a look then left the room.

Lampo twirled a strand of his green hair with his finger watching the child go. "I ate something he brought you?" Giotto nodding, going to sit back down. "If I die I'll blame it on you." The teenager settled his best stare on him, "Those brats probably poisoned it. I'd yell at you for feeding me that but it would be too troublesome." Yawning, he exited the room with a wave of his hand.

Ryohei nearly ran into the kitchen door unable to stop his running feet but it was opened for him. That resulted in him hitting against a counter and falling only to spring right back up. He held the bowl up high, "He extremely ate it! Lampo was there with him to." The smirk on Mukuro's face faded.

"Then he didn't eat it." The seven year old leaned back in his chair frustrated that he hadn't accounted for that bottomless-pit to show up. Most of the time Lampo found it bothersome to eat but he was still a growing boy, when he did eat he ate a lot. "If food disappeared around him that means it went in to his stomach. Plan B." His mismatched eyes landed on Hibari, "Your turn."

The boy, who'd been nibbling on a steak, looked up. "I just need to ask him to fight me?" Chrome was the one who nodded. Hibari slide off his chair and stalked off to do his task. He didn't bother knocking on Giotto's office door and just entered without permission. The blonde looked up from his paperwork but before he did so an image of another blonde head came to his mind. The person was faceless but he saw a flash of a whip and he felt irritated. More irritated than he usually felt towards Giotto. He raised his tonfa and hissed, "Fight me." He ignored the sudden pain in his head and went for the man's throat.

Giotto jumped out of his chair quickly and got in front of his desk. Although planned, the last time Hibari was here his paperwork had been ruined. The repercussions from that were horrible. So he needed to protect the documents to the last. "I don't think that's a good idea." Yet he barely got the words out before the child was charging at him. He dodged right to avoid the first tonfa but the other came soon after. There was no way he could fight a kid so he just kept dodging unknowingly backing himself into a corner.

"Got you, Herbivore." Hibari glared up at his prey, pissed that now that he was in the corner he could no longer hurt him. At least if he followed the pineapple's plan, which he wouldn't. He raised his tonfa but stopped when he saw something out of the corner of his eye. Mukuro was supposed to be the only one to sneak in and plant the trap by Giotto's desk but he could also see Tsuna cowering near the couch, watching him. Hibari moved back, away from the blonde, and grunted. "I'm leaving, Herbivore."

Yet, when he turned his plans got delayed slightly. Knuckle was standing there holding a shivering Tsuna by the collar of his shirt. The child's form hung in the air swinging back and forth, "What's this doing here?" The ex-boxer had yet to identify the blob of hair and cloth to be Tsuna.

Giotto's eye widened and he took a step forward, "Are you alright, Tsuna?" Faster than the man Hibari walked over and pulled the boy down, his shirt slipping off of him. That left the six-year old in his boxers only. Then the older boy dragged him out not wanting him to be here when the trap was set off.

Knuckle watched them go then finally realized, "Oh, that was Tsuna!" Sighing, Giotto shook his head at his friend and sat down. When he did all hell broke loose. He sensed danger immediately and bounced right back u. The lit match fell almost in slow motion onto the floor. He inhaled and caught the scent of gas; quickly he leaped back letting only the end of one of his pant legs catch fire. Sadly, while trying to stomp it out with his other foot he fell down. He grabbed the desk to keep himself up an the paperwork on his desk gently flowed into the fire.

Shocked, Giotto let go of the desk and fell onto his butt. His head was down so he was on eyelevel with the underside of his chair. Right there was a small patch of wires and pulleys he never noticed before. The trap should be just enough for a match to light and fall with weight added to the seat.

While he stared at it Knuckle frantically tried to put the fire out. In the end he poured the glass of water that was sitting on the desk into the flame, successfully putting the fire that engulfed the chair out. Not liking this near death experience and thinking an enemy family must have snuck someone in, he screamed, "Alaude!" Swiftly he got on his feet and ran away. He was going to find his cloud guardian to get comfort and reassurance that the mansion was safe. When he finally found the other blonde man he pounced on him. Wrapping his arms around his waist he steeled himself so there was no way of removing him. "I need a hug, for once just stay still."

From faraway Mukuro watched the two lovers out of a window. The blondes were in the garden peacefully embracing each other. "Kyoya, you were supposed to make sure he was distracted enough so he wouldn't sense it." He turned to lecture the skylark to his face but was met with a familiar sight. Tsuna was hanging onto Kyoya for dear life while the older child patted his head lightly. Frowning, Mukuro looked out the window again only to see the same scene as the children were playing out. Alaude was patting Giotto's head. Lip curling he growled out as he walked out of the room, "Damn lovebirds."

The day was coming to a close and all five children sat exhausted in the kitchen. Ryohei who was seated on a counter playing with the razor spoke up, "Mukuro…I don't think this is gonna work. We probably shouldn't keep doing this." He raised the razor as he stated, "Daemon already lost an extreme lock of hair because of this." The blue-haired boy chuckled not seeming sorry in the least. "It's an extreme miracle that we haven't been caught yet."

Mukuro glanced around at all their faces. If he pushed them to hard they'd never follow his lead again, so he should end the day soon. "This will be the last attempt for the day." Everyone looked at Tsuna who was napping in Hibari's lap.

"If he gets hurt I'll bite you to death." Gently he shook the boy awake, "Follow, Herbivore." Without question the brunette did as ordered and went after him. Hibari brought him to the tree line and then told him to stay there while walking off. He was surprised to be left but did not disobey. Then when Mukuro gave the signal he began waving his arms wildly in the air.

Earlier, Giotto had seen Tsuna shivering and frightened so he would still be worried about him. The cunning pineapple was using that to his advantage and forced the brunette to fake distress. Soon as expected people saw him and Giotto came running. He was pulling on a shirt as he did so then buttoning it up. His disheveled appearance didn't go unnoticed by two of the children. So neither Mukuro or Hibari were surprised when Alaude appeared, going with his lover to check on the brats, albeit more slowly. The man didn't even have the decency to button his shirt or his pants.

Alaude ran a hand through his hair as they grew closer to the children but it stopped midway through. He took hold of Giotto and pulled him back. "Not now you pervert." His boss struggled but soon gave up as there was no escape. Out of breath he huffed up at him, "What do you think you are doing? That kid is in trouble."

Slowly the cloud leaned down and picked up a rock. Mukuro made an annoyed sound as he pulled Chrome back. Hibari seeing what was happening jumped out of hiding and onto Tsuna. They rolled towards the trees as the rock Alaude threw hit the ground close to where the brunette had been standing. Purposefully, that jackass tossed the stone onto the landmine that was closest to Tsuna.

The ground exploded as Giotto stared wide-eyed. "W-where are you, Mukuro?" The day's events came back to him full force and he remembered how things kept going wrong. It had been odd but he couldn't put his finger on it until now. That child was the only one in the whole mansion who'd pull these kind of clever attacks. It wasn't the threat of dying that now upset him but that Mukuro actually brought the other kids into this.

A little miffed Mukuro crawled across the ground trying to avoid detection. Why did the blonde automatically assume it was him? Although, it was correct did he have to get it right on the first try? He was thinking about disappearing with his mist but before he could his head hit against something. His eyes traced the legs while they went up to see the faces of the person who found him. Alaude looked down at him smirking. He called over to Giotto not sympathizing with the child at all. "He's over here."

Tsuna held onto Kyoya as they rolled until he heard more than felt their sudden stop. He raised his eyes and saw the uncomfortable expression on the eight-year-old's face. The noise that sounded when they stopped was one of Kyoya's back hitting a tree. The brunette whined for his friend's sake as the dark-haired boy stood up. He waited there for a second then began to stand himself. Yet, he stopped as his eyes lowered and landed on a bush. At the very edge of it human fingers sprouted.

Scared but curious the boy approached the plant. Kyoya watched him questioningly, not planning to interfere unless he wandered too far. He noticed a prickling pain in his finger as he advanced. Rubbing the throbbing finger he decided he was as close as he wanted to be to the plant. He poked the human part and the fingers wiggled, gasping he jumped back as more of an arm was exposed. Kyoya was busy watching Mukuro being yelled at by Giotto so he didn't notice the brunette's sudden movement. When there was no more motion Tsuna went forward again, this time he went a little passed the plant.

Chocolate brown eyes blinked at the person lying there, shocked. The silver-headed child was probably around his age and just like him was covered in bruises. Although the only ones clearly visible were hand marks on his arm like he'd been grabbed. Seconds ticked by and Tsuna realized that the boy's eyes were fixated on something behind him. So focused was he that he hadn't even noticed him yet. In fact the child seemed to be reaching out for the object he was staring at.

Curious the brunette turned to look at the ground behind him. There was a cylinder shaped thing with something sticking out of one end of it but nothing else. Not seeing what was so mystifying about the object he looked from the boy to it. Suddenly it dawned on him that the thing on the end of the stick was being eaten away by a tiny little flame at the end of it. Did the silverette not want that to happen? Still confused but hoping this was what he wanted Tsuna licked his finger and put out the small fire.

Gokudera stared up at the brunette, surprised. He'd been so absorbed in trying to stop the dynamite from exploding that he didn't realize someone else was here. For two days he hasn't eaten since he went on a hunger strike and he should have at least forced some down if this was going to happen. His first day running away and he couldn't move because of hunger. The child smiled at him and then spoke, "I better get you help now. You don't look so good." He dropped the diffused bomb and came over to him. "Don't worry Giotto's not too bad." The boy leaned down and had him throw his arm over his shoulder.

Tsuna hummed as he brought the exhausted child towards the adults. Kyoya had gotten engrossed in watching Mukuro get yelled at and had gone closer to the scene, unconsciously. Seeing the brunette come out of the woods, his eyes instantly targeted that which didn't belong. The dark-haired boy wasn't the only one who noticed and the field got quiet. Mukuro was so curious about the silver-headed child that even once he was released he didn't disappear. "Giotto-nii, look what I found."

Not wanting to show how tense he was about the new boy, Giotto tried to smile. The kid could easily have been a spy and Tsuna brought him right to them. Although he knew the brunette didn't know what kind of business they were involved in but shouldn't he have common sense? You just didn't bring random strangers home!

Then right when Giotto was about to tell Tsuna it would be best to leave his find in Alaude's hands, the other boy's silver head was raised. Speechless the blond man stared into the face of his right hand man. At least a face that highly resembled that of his friend. He knew he wasn't imagining things because, even though less apparent, Alaude also stared at the child.

The man suddenly grunted and turned to Giotto flashing his handcuffs in question. Normally he wouldn't even dream of asking Giotto for permission but this seemed to be a sensitive case. Six kids show up that share their appearance, how could that be a coincidence? There were six of them! Thinking about it for a minute Primo shook his head at his cloud guardian's unvoiced question. If another one showed up then they would interrogate them. "You can bring him inside, Tsuna."

The brunette nodded and tightened his grip on the larger boy. Kyoya eyed the way Gokudera was dropped over the herbivore nearly growling as he did so. Seeing that the other child was scowling at nothing particular the black-haired boy stepped forward. He showed the herbivore off of what was his and took hold of Tsuna's arm, planning to drag him inside.

Gokudera bounced up from the ground and glared at Hibari, pointing his finger at him, yelling, "Don't grab the Tenth without his permission you fucking bastard!" The two kids glared at each other with a fluttered Tuna in-between them. The brunette tried to calm them down, he knew the repercussions of making Kyoya angry and he didn't want the other child to find out right now. Before he could resolve the situation, Kyoya pushed him out of the way gently and dove for Gokudera, tonfa raised.

The boy tried to dodge and grab Hibari to at least keep him in such a close range that tonfa's couldn't be used but it didn't work. His fingertips barely brushed the carnivore's neck when the other tonfa came down. With quick thinking and fast reflexes a clean hit was avoided but he was still hurt from it. Then suddenly Giotto was behind the silverette and he sent a karate chop to knock the child out. "Sorry." He muttered as the boy fell into his arms unconscious. The blonde looked up quickly to see Hibari pissed off that he had his prey taken.

Yet surprisingly, the violent kid chose to put his weapons away. "Next time I won't let you off so easy."

A couple hours later in the infirmary Giotto along with G and Alaude stood over the restless boy. He kept moving in his 'sleep' and Primo thought that maybe G's staring could be felt even in a state of unawareness. Finally Giotto broke the silence, "So G…have any woman in the last six years or so?"

The poor man was so shocked that he couldn't even express any anger at the assumption. "Giotto, six years ago I was twelve." The blonde scratched his head nervously.

Then he sighed and with a slowly rising voice he said, "Yeah, I know that. I know that yet I see a replica of you laying in that bed right now!" With a shockingly gentle move G brushed the hair out of the child's face and waved his other hand at his boss.

"Shh! You'll wake him up."

Just as he said that the first storm guardian felt teeth snap onto his fingers. Alarmed he whirled around and saw the kid biting him. "Fuck!" He tried to pry the boy's mouth open to free his now bleeding appendages but he wouldn't budge. "Giotto, help me get this piranha offa me!" He swore that when he said that the brat smirked. Although, it was an awkward one, what with his finger in his mouth and all.

After several minutes of swearing and pulling the kid released the red-headed man's finger. Giotto sweating slightly sat down and took a deep breath than let it go. "So…what's your name?" The only response he received was a look that showed the boy didn't give a damn how many questions he asked and that he wouldn't be getting an answer to any of them. "Do you mind answering at least this? Why'd you call Tsuna 'Tenth'? Have you met before?"

Suddenly, the child seemed too willing to give the answer Giotto wanted. He stood up on the bed small face upturned to the ceiling, fist pumping upward. "He's the tenth person to save my life. What's more is he wasn't paid to do it like the others!" The blonde man's hyper intuition flashed at that but decided not to pry. Besides what he did to G the kid was harmless enough. At that moment Tsuna poked his head into the room wondering if the other boy was alright. Upon sight the child on the bed threw himself to the floor bowing profusely, "Tenth! I'm sorry I passed out and left you alone. My names Gokudera Hayato, I'll be your right-hand man from this day forward!"

The rays of moonlight shined on the puddles of melted snow which reflected it back. Asari stuck his blade within the water, washing the red stains off. The mission had taken longer than he thought it would. His target this time had been hard to track. Yet when he did find him it was over quickly just as Asari liked. He never wanted to prolong the death of another human, that was Alaude's thing not his. The cruelty that was needed for that was something he just didn't possess. Giotto knew that he didn't like killing so he made sure to only send him on assassination missions when his skills were badly needed.

Although, the killing of this man was far too easy and hadn't required his skills with the sword, Asari did know why it had been him sent. Everyone else would have been noticed by their usual antics but someone quiet was needed. Alaude could be considered right for the job but he was too impatient. If a move was made too soon even Alaude wouldn't be able to catch that sneaky guy. What was required for this hit was calmness, Asari's strong point. He stood once his sword was clean and gave it a swing. It had only been around a year since he first killed and the sword got heavier after every death.

Asari placed his sword back in its sheath and hid it underneath his robes. He fixed his disheveled hat then went on his way, hoping to get home quickly. That didn't seem likely when coming out of the alley he found a boy there sleeping. Orphans weren't that uncommon and G always told him to try and not take strays in but this one felt different. The clothes he wore were not rags and actually had little to no dirt on them. Also his body didn't show any signs of having been starved for any length of time. His height certainly spoke volumes about how good he ate. So why on earth would, a well off child like this be sleeping here?

He didn't even have time to answer his own question because he heard shouting in the distance. Hostile, the people yelling were definitely hostile. He wondered if he shouldn't go try to calm them but thought better when he noticed the child in front of him shiver. If he didn't get him to the mansion soon he might catch cold. One they were there he'd ask questions. He picked the boy up and realized that a fever was already present. Cold the cold night air worsen it? To be safe he tucked the kid as close as he could to his chest. "I'll get you help soon so hang on little guy."

Takeshi sighed contently as warmth enveloped him. He knew he shouldn't have but earlier he'd been _so_ tried and he just had to stop for a rest. Even for him maintaining a constant energy level over a span of thirteen hours was hard. Only for a seconds that's all he wanted to close his eyes for but instead he fell asleep. He at least knew that he was asleep; dreams didn't come when you were awake. So why in the middle of this cold alley was he suddenly warm? Unless…was he moved? At this new knowledge his eyes opened but the room was hazy.

In fact he didn't feel that good. His hand raised to touch his forehead and his suspicions was confirmed, he was burning up. What happened to 'idiots don't catch colds', Dad? He remembered saying that to his dad the first time he caught a cold. Slowly a smile spread across his face. "You're no idiot, Takeshi." His dad was so nice denying the obvious to cheer him up.

"Yes, you are." The voice sounded from not too far away and Takeshi flinched. It was only for a second though; afterwards he turned his head and smiled at the blurry figure. It was a silver haired boy that glared back at him. "I don't care if you're sick, hurt the Tenth and I'll blow you up." With his fever getting higher Takeshi couldn't really comprehend the threat but he laughed anyway. It was silent and then the silverette rolled onto his side muttering, "He's really an idiot."

Gokudera hid his face underneath the sheet around him not wanting anyone to walk in and see that it was red. That kid laying in the other bed had quite a smile. It wasn't really time to think about that though. Right now he needed to make sure he wasn't returned to his father. That man forced him over and over again to play the piano. His mother though was a kind lady who'd taught him how to use dynamite. Although she was usually gone, every year she came up to visit them once or twice. A month or so ago he'd learned why she didn't live with them; she was a daughter of a mafia boss. She wasn't around a lot but he was happy. The only bad part of his life was his father, yet he could have dealt with it if it was just the piano. When he'd slapped him there was no questions that he'd run away. _I'll get revenge on you, Father._

Takeshi stared at the ceiling his serious face on for a change. He might be sick now but he'd be alright later. When that time came he knew what he would do. For his dad and his own peace of mind he'd see to it that these gunners were taken down. Their horrible acts couldn't be ignored and he wouldn't let them be. Even if he died trying he was going to get back at those men for taking his dad away from this world. _Dad, I will get revenge for you. _He turned onto his side, hoping to get enough rest that the fever would go down.

**Yeah, I know. It's been a long time since I updated this but I made the chapter longer than usual! About the beginning, Haru wasn't thrown into the past. It's just a relative, I even thought about changing her name but that would confuse me.**


	10. Interrogation

**Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman Reborn and its characters do not belong to me, they belong to Amano Akira**

**-Chapter Ten-**

**Interrogation**

Yamamoto's health returned at a rapid pace and in a day or two he was up and about. Gokudera only suffered from hungry and a few bruises. Tsuna thought they'd been seriously hurt and for the day they were in bed catered to them or tied to anyway. The taller of the two always brushed him off saying there was no need for him to do anything for him. The sliverette in turn would actually try and get up to do everything for himself, saying that 'Tenth doesn't need to do anything like that'. Although after he calmed down his eyes filled to the brim with proud tears and gushed about how wonderful he was to offer.

While Tsuna battled to keep them from straining themselves Giotto happened to be fighting a battle of his own. His opponent? His guardians, with a very threating Alaude leading the pack. Just that thought was enough to blow his mind. Alaude agreeing with the others? Impossible! At least that's what he would have previously said. "No." His looked anywhere but at his cloud guardian, not wanting to meet his eyes. He knew this would happen if another look-a-like joined them but this was going too far! It wasn't just going to be interrogating, Alaude wanted to bring them to his torture chamber if they didn't fuss up. Just being in the interrogation room the man should be torture enough. Grown men, power grown up men fell underneath this guy's gaze alone and he thought ordinary children wouldn't?

Asari unsurprisingly was the first to take a semi neutral standpoint. "Giotto, we normally let you do anything you want, for the most part that is. Yet, right now that's impossible." The Japanese man squared his shoulders, "We need to interrogate those kids, especially the one called Hayato. This can't possibly be a coincidence." He eyed Alaude for a second wondering how he'd take this. "All we'll do is interrogate them not torture them." The cloud seemed to turn darker but didn't say anything.

Giotto new that there would be no more compromises and felt pleased that he'd gotten at least this much. It was the best turn out of all the ways this could go. "Ok. But it's your job to round them up. If even one of them comes out with so much as a scratch on them it's the…" The group tensed somewhat, even Asari and Knuckle who hadn't sided with Alaude from the beginning. The next word Giotto uttered would definitely be _that _and none of them liked _that_. "…pole." How horrible.

All eyes turned to Alaude, since he would be the one most likely to hurt the children. He grunted and turned his head at least acknowledging what would happen if he harmed them. When the eyes moved onto G he was much more compliant to his boss's wishes. "Of course! I'll make sure they come out uninjured."

The smile that appeared on Giotto's face was chilling, "Ok, then you have joint responsibly with the culprit if something does happen." G's eyes widened comically but he nodded in agreement. None of the children would be hurt under his watch that was his new goal.

Hours later he wondered if ear pulling was considered harming them. It wasn't just him at the end of his rope either, Alaude was alone close to snapping. So close was he that he wasn't allowed near the kids, he was forced to stay on the other side of the room. All seven children were in the room but they decided to interrogate them one by one. Alaude had picked the loudmouth of the bunch, in the day he'd been here they were sure he insulted and yelled at almost everyone within the mansion. He was confined to the infirmary until they took him here but no one had been able to stay and watch over him in there for over a minute. The job had been passed to everyone but none could do it expect Tsuna.

While they asked Gokudera questions the other six played around. Well they were doing things they personally considered playing. Ryohei was punching the wall, doing so as quietly as possible since, although Hibari wasn't asleep he was laying down. Tsuna was beside him playing with the skylark's hair. Yamamoto was having a one-sided conversation with Chrome and lastly Mukuro was having a glare off with Daemon.

In annoyance G dug his fingernails into the tape over his tattoo. Giotto wouldn't let him anywhere near Tsuna unless he covered it up. The action drew Gokudera's gaze to the tape. "What the hell is that on your face, Pinky?"

Internally, he screamed for the kid to just shut his trap like a good little boy but refrained from saying it out loud. He wouldn't disgrace himself for such a good for nothing brat. "S'not pink." He sat down into the chair across from the sliverette and growled, "Let's start over. Do you happen to be a spy?"

"Things don't just happen. There's always a building process." Damn, and he'd been so careful with his words. No matter what he asked the boy evaded the question. Even if some of the things he says don't really make much sense the man still felt like he's being one-upped. "You still haven't answered my question. What. The. Hell. Is. On. Your. Face?" Unthinkingly his eyes landed on Tsuna for a second since it was his fault he was being questioned by the brat instead of the other way around.

When G did this it ticked Gokudera off and he stood up, slamming his hands onto the table, "Why are you looking at the tenth you pedophile?" Without hesitation the adults in the room looked at Daemon.

"Nufufu, don't give me that. He was talking to G." The melon's chuckle was strained as he tried not to break eye contact with Mukuro. There was no way he'd let a young boy win against him. Unfortunately, he didn't realize his actions contradicted his words. Only a pedophile would stare non-stop at a child.

For G though it was the last straw, the thin thread that was keeping him in check snapped. "What did you call me you damn brat?"

"A pedo. You hear me now? A pedo!"

The yelling match started and Hibari cracked one eye open. Those herbivores better quiet down soon or they'd be taking a long nap courtesy of his tonfa. In fact if it wans't for the pleasant feeling of his hair being played with he would have already tonfa-ed them. Luckily for the noise maker, Tsuna knew just how to pet him to make him purr.

The argument between adult and child continued until Gokudera shouted, "Why are we being questioned anyway? Just what did we do?"

G shouted back, not thinking about what he was saying, "Cause you look too much like us you brats!"

The sliver-headed boy slammed his fist onto the table and pointed a finger at him accusingly, "Even if we look like you this is just your stupid over-reaction. People can be similar you shithead!"

Growling, the Vongola right-hand man admitted defeat in a roundabout way, "Next is Ryohei."

The boy turned from punching the wall and grinned, "I don't know why I look like uncle Knuckle." The priest bowed his head at this. He'd like the boy to call him Knuckle-nii instead so he wouldn't feel so old but calling him uncle had become a habit for the kid.

G sighed, already grasping Ryohei's personality enough to know that's all he would get from him. His head was relatively empty compared to that other brat. He gritted his teeth but moved on to the next child. "Takeshi, how did you end up in the streets like that?"

The tall boy turned his head to get a good look at G. For a split second the storm guardian saw something dark flash in the kid's eyes but he brushed it off as seeing things because the next thing he knew the child was smiling, "My dad died recently and that left me all alone. My mom went to heaven years ago." Asari gave G a disapproving look at having forced something like that out of him. He fidgeted a little under the other man's gaze but said nothing.

Understanding that Asari felt he should leave the child alone he moved on, "Chrome, I-" He was cut off when Mukuro decided to abandon his staring contest with Daemon and placed a protective hand in front of Chrome.

"You shouldn't ask about someone's personal life when one does not want to remember said life." The blue-haired boy chuckled and put a hand upon his check tilting his head into it like he was worried, "What would you do if I asked why you dislike Kyo-chan so much?" That was a surprise to G, he'd never acted differently with Hibari at all, he was prone to his wrath as well as any other. "Don't deny it. You glare at him more than the rest of us. Mm, maybe you hadn't realized?" No, no he hadn't realized that he did something so stupid.

Hibari open both his eyes interested now that he was brought into the conversation. If they said anything he didn't like then he'd bite them to death but until then he'd enjoy the petting Tsuna was giving him.

"Kukuku, it's so easy to tell why you hate him. Something as simple as that though is really petty. Kyo-chan didn't do anything wrong." G wasn't really sure where this kid was going but he knew there was no chance of him liking it. The cunning brat was up to something but he just didn't know what it was. "When he came here that first night he wasn't even conscious. Poor Kyo-chan didn't realize he'd taken something that belonged to you." Yah, now that he thought about it maybe the extra glares he shot the boy was because of that day. Of course it wasn't the brats fault and he knew he was being petty…wait, did Mukuro know about it?

Suddenly, the redhead turned his gaze onto Asari. The man seemed clueless and that should be a good sign, yet it wasn't. He was the only other person who knew what that day had been and he such an idiot that he might have told the illusionist by mistake, not even noticing what he'd done. Mukuro continued his little speech a twinkle in his eye.

Teasing this man would be more fun than the seven-year old originally thought. He was glad that he'd asked around about the relationships within the Vongola. Like who got along with who and etc. The maids were the ones to fess up to knowing about this one and earlier he had thought of it as mindless gossip but not now. Not after he'd seen G take a look at Asari. This was his best find yet! "That night was your anniversary but instead of shoving Kyo-chan off to Knuckle he stayed there all night waiting for the princess to wake up."

G stuttered out words as Asari laughed nervously. No one else knew they were a couple and this was an awkward way for it to come out. Giotto was the only one not present so everyone but him knew now. Unwisely, G turned his back on the kids to face his fellow guardians to give an explanation. Unfortunately, he was the closest to the children, with the others much farther away. Cause of this no one else would be able to stop the brats in time and with G's back turned it was the perfect chance.

That had been the last straw for Hibari who just didn't consider being called a princess a good thing. He drew his tonfa and was already at Mukuro's side before anyone could stop him. Of course Tsuna was here so he couldn't' go all out and because of that Mukuro was able to block the attack just in time. The other child also drew his weapon and now they were at a stalemate. Hibari told himself that it would only last a moment.

Tsuna though had other plans. "Hie! Don't hurt each other. Stop fighting, Kyoya-nii!" After having lived with his friend for a while he knew that if someone didn't stop the fight then it would never end. Just…he hadn't thought that what happened next would happen.

Gokudera stepped forward dynamite out and lit in his hands. "Don't upset the tenth you freaks!" He threw the bombs towards the two fighting and they stopped to look down at the lit weapons. Even if the interrogation room was large they were pretty sure that it would still affect all the people within. If by some miracle they weren't killed by the bombs themselves the rubble of the destroyed room on top of them could end their life.

Hibari jumped back and then went for Tsuna. They needed to get out of the interrogation room and fast. Mukuro did the same with Chrome but before he could fade out with her the fuse reached its end. Strangely the bombs didn't go off and Gokudera looked puzzled. G began to laugh and everyone within the room eyed him. The sliver-headed child growled out, "What did you do?" Smirking the man took out a spray bottle from under the table.

"I found those weapons on you while you were sleeping." G felt pretty good about outsmarting the kid but that feeling didn't' last long. With the threat of the room collapsing gone Hibari and Mukuro began to fight. Tsuna pulled at his fluffy hair crying out for them to stop. Neither listened and instead kept trying to slash the others throat open. G prepared the spray bottle thinking if he got them wet they might behave like cats and learn that what they were doing was bad. Before he could do so and turn their vicious fangs on him, Gokudera pulled some more dynamite out of nowhere, starting to light them. He had more? _Where the hell does he keep them?_

Fortunately, Ryohei decided then that he didn't want to be left out any put his fist into a fighting position, "Let me extremely join." With his hair rising punches, thankfully he kept /Gokudera at bay and the child couldn't find enough time to light one of his bombs.

Seeing that the sliver-haired brat's movements were contained G tried to break the pineapple and skylark up. He took one step forward while the rest of the guardians watched and then Yamamoto laughed. What he did next affected everyone like dominos. He wanted to play around to so he gave Mukuro a light shove. The blue-haired boy fell into Hibari who in turned tried to smack him with his tonfa. Sadly said tonfa went flying out of his hand instead. The metal weapon went rocking towards Gokudera but he avoided it. Shocked from the suddenness of the weapons appearance he dropped his dynamite that he'd finally gotten lit.

The bomb fell in front of Tsuna who picked it up unaware of the danger. The fuse was almost all the way gone and G cursed. He yanked his gun out of the holster at his hip and with his violent movement the tape on his face came off. With unbelievable accuracy he shot one bullet at the bottom of the fuse and it came off the dynamite. Frightened, Tsuna stepped backwards and his leg slammed into the chair behind him. His knees buckled and he went onto the floor.

It was then that the screaming started and it wasn't Tsuna's. Everyone's eyes turned to Yamamoto who closed his eyes as his nails dug into his scalp. It seemed a lot like the brunette's panic attack but this one had no reason. The tall boy curled up on the floor only occasionally groaning. Asari quickly walked to him and put his arms around Yamamoto. "What's wrong?" His voice was calm but there was an underlying layer of panic.

Takeshi clutched his head trying not to pay any attention to the sound of guns going off in his mind. There were three shots then silence. After a few moments there'd be three shots again. The sounds didn't bother him so much but the images that came along with it did. He wished he could have seen his dad's body before he left. If he did maybe the images he imagined wouldn't be so horrible. He felt warm arms wrap themselves around him and he longed to be able to respond. Ask why this happened to his dad. Why these false pictures haunted him from only the sound of a gunshot.

The whole room was silent as Asari tried to comfort Yamamoto. Although the kid was completely unaware of the comfort the man was trying to give he did move closer to the rain guardian, into the warmth of a human. Gokudera watched the scene with his fist clenching. He could put two and two together so he knew what set the other child off. The only thing that happened before he screamed was G shooting off his gun. A trauma with guns was hard to get over for anyone involved in the mafia, his mother told him so. Most of the time the constant use of guns would makes the person go crazy. With him being near the Vongola Takeshi wasn't likely to get over this anytime soon. Interference was needed. He didn't need a looney near the tenth so he went over to Yamamoto.

Asari looked up at him as he raised his hand and suddenly slapped Takeshi, harshly, across the face. Then as the adults only stared he grabbed him by his collar and jerked him up onto his feet. Like a ferocious beast he growled, "Snap out of it you idiot." Once the other boy's eyes came back into focus he turned to G and snarled, "Put the damn gun away he'd scared."

Finally realizing what went wrong G did as told. As he put it back in his holster he noticed that he didn't feel the tape on his face anymore. He tried to cover it up quickly but the brunette had already looked at him. The two stared at each other and both began to shake. G out of nervousness and Tsuna from fear. His mouth fell open and a high pitched scream sounded throughout the room, "HIEE!"

Daemon covered his ears whining slightly. "Turn the noise maker off, G!" Lampo took out a candy and tried to offer it to the wailing child. Too bad Hibari turned then and saw him near the herbivore. Not knowing why he was crying he decided it was the green-haired teen's fault. Tonfa meet Lampo. Immediately after knocking the lighting guardian out he placed his hands on either side of the brunette's face. He forced him to look at him and as they gazed at each other he placed his forehead on the smaller boy's. The action calmed Tsuna and gave G enough time to hide his tattoo.

The madness seemed to have come to an end and the saner of the people in the room were thankful for that. Yet right when they were thinking of ending the interrogation without answers the door to the room slammed open. Giotto stood there with narrowed eyes.

"What happened?" He already knew something had happened. His intuition flared earlier and that told him a problem had risen. First, to be safe, he checked that the mansion was secure and it was. Nothing seemed out of place, no one was acting weird and that only left this room to be checked. He should have known having all his guardians packed into one room with the children would make something happen. Not something good either.

Golden eyes scanned the room to check to see if any of the kids were hurt. If they were he'd have G's head. Everything seemed ok until he noticed Tsuna holding his leg. Marching over he leaned down to be on eyelevel with the child. "Are you hurt?" There was no response from the brunette but Hibari glared at him. "…Can I see your leg?"

Kyoya opened his mouth to tell the herbivore 'no' but Tsuna nodded and moved his hand. On his calf there was a cut, his skin having been tore when he scratched it against the metal part of the chair he'd fallen into. Giotto stared at the small cut for a second then stood and turned to face his storm guardian. G hadn't realized earlier that Tsuna hurt himself but he wished he had. If he did he would have already been far far away from the mansion. He respected his boss he really did; never did he think that Giotto made the wrong decision. If the man thought he needed to be punished then he usually would let him give it to him but…the pole was just too much! Yet, if he went down he'd be taking someone with him. Yes, he knew he was petty. The finger would be pointed and this time it'd be…

"Daemon started it." Normally anyone would believe this because, well Daemon was who he was. The mist guardian made an undignified sound but didn't press his innocence. No one ever believed him anyway. Complaining would only make his punishment harder.

Giotto glared at his guardian. "No matter who did what you'll all be disciplined." Kyoya hummed; maybe he could come to like this herbivore. The whole group paled, expect Alaude who thought he'd be given special privileges. He hadn't done anything and he was the man's lover after all. The threat would not be placed in his pond. "You're getting the pole."

That day the children found out what the pole was. Hibari and Mukuro found it somewhat amusing, everyone else not so much. The guardians were tied upside down to a twelve foot pole but only one leg was tied. Under them were ponds with crocodiles in them. Yet this was not a physical punishment, it was a mental game. Amazingly, the vicious animals were trained not to attack humans and the guardians did know this. When they are hung up they'll be given a knife to cut themselves down whenever they please. The catch was that in one of those ponds was a crocodile that would be very pleased if the guardian over him cut themselves down. After all they'd be his next meal.

Really the punishment was a waiting game to see who lasted the longest. If someone got down and their crocodile didn't attack them the chances were higher that yours would be the one. G had cut his rope once and regretted it for the next week. That damn animal had taken a nip at his butt. Lampo had been happy about that since he'd been the last one hanging after that. It let him fearlessly cut his own rope.

Giotto patted Tsuna's head, grinning, "Revenge is sweet, isn't it?" Mukuro growled at the blonde man, he hated that word now but he had to admit this was entertaining. "Now let's get you kids inside. Don't want you seeing something terrible." Tsuna was pretty sure that what Giotto just showed them could be considered that. Especially when the expression on Kyoya's face wasn't irritated but actually…amused.

High above them Lampo waved his arms around. "Giotto! I didn't do anything, why punish the great me along with these idiots?" The children were being led away from the punishment sight when they heard a splash. Someone had already cut themselves down. Tsuna was about to look to see who but noticed that Mukuro stopped Chrome from looking. That couldn't be good. He didn't' feel like seeing anymore so he stared straight ahead like Giotto, who he heard mutter, "Just because I love you doesn't mean you won't get the crocodile." After that there was laughter and many more splashes.

**I feel proud that I got this chapter out so fast. Yay me! Poor Alaude…**


	11. War of The Pillows

**Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman Reborn and its characters do not belong to me, they belong to Amano Akira**

**-Chapter Eleven-**

**War of The Pillows**

"Group A to group B: infiltration successful." There was a snicker and the little boy who'd delivered the message to Mukuro was sent off. Darkness layered the hallways of the Vongola mansion as shadows shifted on the ground. The light was minimal, the only source of it was the lamp in the blue-haired boy's hand.

An annoyed voice piped up, "Why do I have to be paired up with you?" Gokudera definitely didn't want to be anywhere near this freak, stupidly shy girl, or the extreme guy. With his loud voice there was no way the mission could be successful. He'd rather be with Tsuna than these three people any day.

Ryohei answered his rhetorical question for him, "Because Tsuna extremely wanted to be with Hibari and Yamamoto." Gokudera slammed his fist against the wall seething with resentment. Just why had his precious Tenth wanted to be with that idiot? That bastard Hibari was understandable, he'd seen that the two have some kind of bond he couldn't get between but…he'd met the Tenth before that idiot had! Gloomily, he leaned on the wall he had hit.

After Tsuna sent one of the maid's sons to inform Ryohei's group that they infiltrated successfully (those were Kyoya's words) he sighed. Why had Mukuro wanted a messenger? It wasn't like this was a raid or something. The brunette had only suggested they play a game. He'd come up with a pillow fight and Giotto agreed. The blonde man told them he would have the maids prepare the pillows tomorrow but that didn't sit well with Gokudera. 'If the Tenth wants to play he'll play today.' So now here they were, planning to ambush the guardians in their sleep. To be truthful Tsuna was kind of excited; this would be a first for him. He'd been wavering at first but Yamamoto promised they wouldn't get in trouble.

The sliver headed boy's plan was to attack the weakest link first. Kyoya decided that would be Tsuna's job for obvious reasons. The dark-haired child wanted him out of harm's way but didn't want him to be completely uninvolved. Tsuna knew that because at that very moment he was pushing him forward so he could hit the sleeping Lampo with his pillow. So he did, the amount of strength he used really couldn't hurt a fly and he acknowledged that the blow might not even wake the guardian up. Yet that's definitely not how it seemed.

Lampo had been sleeping peacefully until he felt something hard smash into his head. His eyes flashed open and he held his head in pain letting out a groan of distress. The first thing he noticed in his pain induced haze was Tsuna. His brown locks were unmistakable even in his state. Thinking someone attacked him and that the brat might be in danger also he reached out for him. Maybe he could stuff him under the blankets or somewhere safe.

As the teenager moved to get Tsuna away from any threat he caught sight of a pillow in the boy's hands. The fact might not have bothered him at all if not for the metal tonfa sticking out of the end of it. It was barely visible but the weapon _was_ there. Rapidly, he searched for its owner and didn't have to look far. The tonfa wielder was standing behind the brunette with a tell-tale expression on his face.

Lampo remembered earlier in the day that Giotto said they would have a pillow fight with the rats tomorrow but by the amount of light in the room he knew it wasn't morning. Hibari put that tonfa in the pillow, he was sure of that much. The other half of the explanation, the why, was clearly displayed on the devil's face. The brat wanted Tsuna to feel like he had some power, when it was really the content of the pillow that did the damage.

If he wanted to live peacefully in this mansion then he would have to react now. He rolled around moaning his pain, putting on the best show he could. He wondered if he was doing well and by the looks of Tsuna's shocked expression he did alright. Hibari didn't seem too satisfied but he hasn't attacked him so the boy must have at least deemed it a worthy performance. To add extra effect he even let a few tears drip out of his eyes.

Hibari nodded curtly at the herbivore, the act was tolerable. He touched the brunette's shoulder to free him from his shock and the boy jumped. Then he turned to look at him questioningly. "Get a pillow and come play with us." He glared at Lampo, making him know it was an order and started to drag Tsuna out of the room. "Herbivore, he'll come find us soon. There are others to wake."

Lampo waited to move until he was mostly sure that the brat's were gone. Once he did he rushed out of his room wondering why it had to be this day that he picked to actually sleep there instead of his tower. He went by many doors before he stopped at the one he knew to be G's Not caring if he woke the other up he began to knock on the door loudly, even resorting to kicking it. A pillow hung in one of his hands and he knew it wasn't the best weapon since he hadn't added anything in it but it was his only choice. If he met another one of the kids out here he hoped to end it with just a pillow fight. The one he really didn't want to run into was Mukuro; if he put his trident in the pillow…He hit the door harder and called out for his fellow guardian, "G! They're going to kill me!"

Normally, Lampo wouldn't even try the handle for he knew G never left his door unlocked but this time he felt he needed to at least give it a chance. The door opened with a creak and a chill went down his spine. What if…what if Mukuro had already come and killed G? Slowly, not wanting to stumble upon something he didn't want to see he opened the door wider. There, lying on the floor was G.

The teenager's eyes grew ten times bigger and he dashed to the storm guardian's side. He barely ever ran in his life but this was important. The green-haired boy clutched the man's hand in his own and cried out, "Man down! Man down!" If only he knew how to check for a pulse! He began to worry for G's life when he felt the hand in his start to twitch. Cautiously, he raised his eyes to the storm's face and found his friend staring at him. "G!" The guardian's lips moved but no sound came out. "No, don't talk it will only hurt more."

Shaking his head, G persisted to say what he wanted to say. "Lampo." His name came out in a chocked voice and he wanted to cry at the sound, "Get reinforcements…before it's too late." The teen was about to nod and go find Giotto when G ripped his hand from his and slammed it against his skull. "Did you really think I'd say something like that? What the hell is with 'man down'?" He grumbled to himself while he stood, leaving Lampo there dumbfounded, "Fall asleep on the floor once and they think you're dead…" That day's paperwork exhausted him and when he got inside his room he couldn't even make it to the bed.

Seeing that G was not aware of what the children were up to Lampo told him all about this lovely night and how he woke up. To say the least he was pissed. Those brats had the nerve to do this even after Giotto said they'd play tomorrow. Realizing what G might do if extremely mad Lampo tried to pacify him. "Well, the kids are being led around by Mukuro, right? Just take him out and problem solved."

The teenager hoped to maintain his usual bored drawl but couldn't. He was seriously worried for the brats here! Ok, maybe not but he was really scared that G would- "Fine, we'll play their damn game." -do exactly that. An angry G was bad enough but one armed with a pillow…that was funny! He hadn't thought about it that way before. The red-haired man picked up a pillow from his bed and weighted it in his hands, "Good enough. Let's go." Wait, when did he say he wanted to be involved? "Don't pretend, either way you're coming." Although G seemed like he wanted to do his worst to the kids before he left the room he put a patch over his tattoo.

Yamamoto stood guard outside Lampo's room when Hibari and Tsuna went in Hibari told him that would be his job this time. Yamamoto and Tsuna would be the ones to go into Asari's room. Getting the man to join their game should be easy enough. He wouldn't be needed for that. Instead he would stay outside and not around the group of herbivores.

Tsuna poked his head into Asari's room and noticed that the man was not in his bed yet. Yamamoto put his head through the opening and looked down at the brunette's fluffy hair. "Where is he?" There was a chuckle and both boys' flinched, surprised.

"I'm over here." Tsuna didn't want to enter the room without permission but Yamamoto took him inside. Asari was looking out the window from a chair that was blocked from view because of the dresser beside it. There was one of his swords in his lap while the two others were propped up against his legs. The rain guardian smiled at them as he tucked the three weapons away into his robes. Standing, he waved his hand to a tray on his nightstand. "Would you like to have some tea with me?"

Yamamoto, who wasn't one to beat around the bush, asked something that Tsuna would have never thought of saying, "What's wrong?" _No, you weren't supposed to question an adult about their problems! They always blame you no matter what._ The brunette closed his eyes ready for them to be yelled at but Asari didn't shout at Yamamoto, he simply smiled. It wasn't the kind full of malice that Tsuna was used to and it made him take a mental step back. Weren't all adults like his father?

"So observant, Takeshi. I am feeling down but it's nothing important." Asari tried to pass it off but Yamamoto wouldn't let him.

"I don't think that's it."

The two stared at each other for a moment. Then the rain guardian laughed, "I see that there will be no getting around this." His smile dimmed by a small margin and he crossed his arms choosing to lean against the wall beside the window. "Truthfully, I just miss my flute. I have bought another but it isn't the same." The Japanese man unfolded his arms and wagged his finger at them. "It's mine turn for questions now. Why are you up and about this late? Children should be in bed."

Takeshi remembered their original purpose in coming here then and raised his pillow. "We are having a pillow fight, want to join us?" Asari distinctly heard Giotto tell them that they'd play tomorrow but he disregarded that face and agreed. "Tsuna, can he be on our team?" The brunette jumped at suddenly being brought into the conversation. He didn't know if Kyoya would allow it but he did like the older man…

"Okay."

The group of four consisting of Mukuro, Gokudera, Chrome, and Ryohei had finally found a room containing someone. Mukuro had bragged that he could easily find his way around the place but because of him they'd gotten lost. Even though Ryohei lived here for a while his memory wasn't the best so they hadn't been able to rely on him. Happiness kicked in for him just like everyone else when they found the room but his was more 'extreme'.

The boy couldn't control himself and forgot that the man in the bedroom was their target. He nearly took a flying leap as he jumped onto the bed that held the priest. Knuckle was rudely awakened like that but he didn't seem to mind once he realized it was Ryohei. "Oh! What can I do for you, Ryohei?"

The white-haired child thought for a moment then excitedly he yelled, "We extremely want to have a pillow fight with everyone." He pushed himself off of Knuckle and rolled onto the floor with a thud.

The priest sat up in the bed rubbing his eyes sleepily. "So, a pillow fight? I'm sure God would want me to be on your side." Well after he said that there was a bunch of arguing between the children. Only Ryohei and Gokudera seemed interested in shouting though as Mukuro decided to leave this to them and sneak off with Chrome.

The pair soon arrived at the entrance to Daemon's room and although they'd been heading to disturb the cloud Mukuro couldn't resist the chance to hit the man. Chrome as usual willingly went along with his idea even though she didn't favor it. He stopped at the door and knocked loudly so it could not be ignored. It took a few well-placed slams of his knuckles against the wood before he heard someone walking on the other side.

Then a very irritated Daemon spoke as he opened his door, "G, what do yo-"

All of a sudden a soft object hit his face. He kept his eyes closed as the thing slid down by force of gravity and once it was gone he spat out the feathers that had gotten into his mouth. In a flash his eyes were open and glaring at his attacker. He needed to glance down but he did finally see the one who stuffed his mouth full of pillow. "Mukuro, Chrome…" He acknowledged the kids with a nod of his head. "Why did you find it necessary to feed me feathers?"

"kufufufu, chickens should have them, don't you think so?"

Daemon eyes twitched but he didn't want to give in to the insult. "And pray tell why do you consider me a chicken?"

Mukuro only smirked leaving Chrome to explain things. "Mukuro-nii means you'll be a chicken if you don't play with us."

"I won't do whatever a kid says just because the-" Before he could finish his sentence Daemon got another mouthful of pillow. He twitched as he plucked a feather from his hair. "It's on." The illusionist marched into his room grabbed the fluffiest pillow he could find and stormed out of his room. Chrome and Mukuro were gone, probably having run off the minute he turned his back on them. Trickery seemed to be the mismatched eyed child's forte and the others weren't that bad either. If he really wanted to win he hated to confront this but he'd need help.

After Tsuna and Yamamoto somehow ended up getting an extra herbivore on their team Hibari told them to meet up with everyone and invade Giotto's room. While they did that he planned to deal with another blonde herbivore. Alaude would be his target and his alone. If anyone could bring down that almost carnivore it would be him.

The dark-haired boy silently made his way to the cloud guardian's territory, not quickening or slowly his pace. Once he reached the man's lair he brought out his tonfa. If the herbivore was as easily woken as him it could pose a problem if he wasn't armed. He pushed open the door took one step inside positioning himself for a straight dash to the bed. Yet his whole body was paralyzed for a second by the sharp eyes staring right at him.

The cloud hadn't been to bed yet. Well, more like he'd been waiting for this to happen. The top button of his shirt was undone and so were the ones lined up at his wrist. His shoes were by the door his feet covered only by a black pair of socks. His trench coat, which he never saw the man without was draped over the back of a chair not too far away. His hair as always was perfectly straight, no sign of him having been to bed.

Hibari took this in for a minute then decided none of it mattered. He shot across the room like a bullet, tonfa ready to slam into Alaude's stomach. It didn't make it though as he heard the click of handcuffs. He narrowed his eyes onto where his tonfa was entrapped by the man's handcuffs. They stared at one another for a drawn out moment. Hibari's other tonfa hadn't moved yet. He hoped to keep it free and tried to calculate a way for that to happen.

Not finding one he just gave the tonfa the hardest swing he could. The sliver weapon was easily stopped and suddenly he felt his face being pushed into the bedspread. Without hesitation the man straddled him from behind and leaned down so his mouth was next to his ear. The blonde's breathing was even not having had any trouble catching him. "If you want to play do it tomorrow. Children should sleep at night." Hibari hissed, struggling to remove the weight of the man on top of him.

It wasn't crushing or anything like that. Actually Alaude seemed to be handling him gently, not even putting half his weight on him. Although the boy didn't want to let go of his tonfa's in fear that he'd not be given them back he released them. Sentiments could be a form of weakness. He was glad now that he hadn't brought anyone along with him. The herbivores would get the wrong idea. That he was weak. He was his father's son so he couldn't and wouldn't be considered weak or sentimental. Small pale hands went to grab onto the head of hair next to his but he was evaded.

The cloud guardian pinned Hibari's arms above his heart with one hand while the other nested into the boy's hair. The blonde man tugged it just right so that his face was not pushed into the covers anymore. The dark-haired child tried to wiggle free but Alaude wouldn't budge. It dawned on the man then why this situation didn't feel right. He brought his face up close to the kid's and hissed, "Others?" Something flashed in the brat's eyes but he only continued to struggle fruitlessly.

Hibari contemplated telling him where the 'others' were. He listed all the pros and cons of lying and telling the truth. Whichever got him to let go would be the best choice. He smirked up at him as he finished his train of thought. "Giotto." Alaude narrowed his eyes and then jerked him up onto his knees. The cloud dragged him to the door where he slipped on his shoes.

Staring down at Hibari he said, "Prepare for war." Then he opened the door to the warzone.

Tsuna and Yamamoto were making their way towards Giotto's room when they heard some yelling. It was definitely Gokudera's voice and it wasn't too far away. In fact it was getting closer. Along with the shouting the two could also hear the sound of fabric hitting against something solid. Then suddenly there was a short yelp that suspiciously sounded like Lampo. Tsuna didn't want to get closer to the corner that the fighting was happening in. Yet without warning they were pulled into the fight.

The force of the blow from the pillow threw G into the wall with a bang. Once he moved the children saw that where he hit the wall cracked a little. Tsuna covered his head expecting the whole mansion to fall and although it didn't he was glad he protected his head. G caught sight of them out of the corner of his eye. He turned slightly to look at them but he cursed and quickly went back to looking when he flew from holding his hands up.

Whoever he called out to didn't wait as they were told and Yamamoto saw a very realistic looking toy bomb rolling to G's feet. Quickly the red-haired man dashed from the corner and knocked into the two kids. He seemed to be trying to protect them from the blast but it never came. After a few minutes of silence G cracked open one eye. A couple more seconds and both eyes were open as he angled his head to see behind him.

Lampo was standing over the dynamite spray bottle in hand. He was wheezing but seemed unharmed by the incident. All of the damage he took being only mental. G sighed in relief but tensed when he realized he was still lying on the brats, nearly suffocating them. He raised himself off the two boys quickly and Yamamoto was ok but Tsuna's face had turned blue. The brunette gasped for air wondering if the light he saw was going to go away any time soon. "…So heavy."

Gokudera not having seen that his precious tenth had been in danger laughed, "You're fat pinky!" Yet after a few moments in which G didn't move he growled, "Stop leaning over them you pedophile." This insult however did get a response.

Gruffly, G muttered, "Not a pedo." Carefully he removed himself from Tsuna and Yamamoto's close proximity. Once he was sure he was far enough away he turned on Gokudera "Stop calling me pinky!" He grabbed the boy by his shirt and raised him off the ground a little. Mukuro chuckled thinking that the storm guardian may finally get violent. "Neither am I fat. In fact I have been losing weight like crazy thanks to all that damn paperwork!"

Ryohei was sure that something extreme was about to happen and maybe he could have been right if not for the door beside them opening. If only they hadn't been in front of Giotto's room. Yet they were and he seemed really pissed off. His smile was full of malice as he aimed it at G. "You have lost weight because of paperwork?" The guardian backed up a little knowing paperwork was not a subject anyone could easily bring up with Giotto. "If I get any thinner the wind is going to blow me away!"

Right then Asari came from where Tsuna and Yamamoto wandered from with rice cakes in his hands. "I got us a snack…" His voice dipped as he froze right in his tracks when he saw the look on Giotto's face. He'd seen it many times before and it never ended well for anyone near him when he showed it. If it was just Giotto and him here he would have ran to the safest place he could think of but alas G and the children were also here.

Tsuna's brown eyes widened to unbelievable proportions as he stared at Giotto's face. An angry face, that meant there would be a beating. It didn't matter that he hadn't done anything he was sure to be blamed for it. Closing his eyes he clutched at the bottom of his shirt waiting for Giotto to hit him. As he cowered there he realized that he had done something wrong. The blonde may have told him to wait until tomorrow but he didn't. Although earlier Lampo and Asari went along with his childish impulses he shouldn't have done this.

Giotto was ranting and raving at his guardian as anger consumed him. This wasn't a rare occurrence, in fact it happened quite often when he was feeling stressed. Sometimes half the mansion could be destroyed before he finally settled down. Yet this time he didn't even make it to the violent stage of his hissy fit. What stopped him in his tracks was the sight of Tsuna shying away from him even as he braced himself for something. The blonde man stopped mid-sentence as he realized the boy expected him to strike him, that he was angry at him. Why would he be mad at Tsuna when he hadn't done anything wrong?

The Vongola boss's eyes landed on the pillow in the brunette's hand and looked around at the rest of the children. All of them had pillows, even his guardians had some. _Ah, so this was what he thought I'm angry about? _ Thinking he could ease the child's fears h quietly went back into his room where he took a pillow off his mattress. He wrapped his hand around the golden pillow case and called out into the hall, "Ok, separate from the enemy! The game will start in five minutes." The little faces gathered at his door disappeared from sight at his words. He heard the sound of scampering feet in a hurry to get away and the blonde smiled.

Knuckle had one hand on his weapon as he poked his head around the corner to see if anyone was coming. No one was there so he decided he could take a rest. Slowly, the priest sank down to the floor breathing hard. Even if he was now a messenger of god and not a boxer he should work out more. G, the heavy smoker that he was, had nearly caught up with him earlier. If it was up to him he wouldn't have even ran away from the challenge but Asari grabbed him by his arm and pulled him along.

What really irritated Knuckle was not the fact G, off all people, got him but that Asari, someone who only tossed around a sword as exercise, could easily outrun both him and G. Frankly, he felt like he was dragging the rain guardian down. The very man he was upset about was sitting next to him at the moment, not even breathing hard from their run. While trying not to grumble about it he glanced around the corner again. Quickly, he whipped his head away and looked at Asari, "It's Alaude." The two stared at one another then jumped to their feet.

They stood side by side facing the deadly corner. Turning the corner would force them to face a pillow wielding cloud guardian but going the other way could lead them back to G. In the first place the red-head was already pissed at their betraying Giotto and now that they had gotten away he would be enraged. Yet if the guardians stayed where they were both G and Alaude may come upon them. Thinking it over Asari asked, "Do you think he knows we're here?"

Knuckle opened his mouth to reply but a pillow rounded the edge of the wall and slammed into his nose. The force made him stumble back until he lost his balance and fell onto the floor. Dazed, he answered Asari's question, "He knows." The rain guardian chuckled uneasily as Alaude came into view. He stepped back slowly and put his hands up. Along with Knuckle there was a chance they could take the cloud but alone was impossible.

"There's no need to take it this far, Alaude." Right after he spoke a pillow came crashing down onto his head. He went down onto one knee and gripped his pillow so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Stone-faced, Alaude stood down at him not smirking like his younger self would have done. "You've grown up quickly in just a year." The old him would have rejoiced that he had got his opponent to his knees to the point where his guard momentarily wasn't up. Now though the attack Asari sent using the pillow like a sword didn't even land on the man. Always on his guard, that's the way the cloud protected himself. It was at this time that Knuckle got up ready to help Asari but as he did so G came from their other side.

"There you are you damn traitors!" Asari's smile dimmed a little, this would not be fun.

A couple hallways away Mukuro was walking around nursing his hurt pride. Before G had found Asari and Knuckle, Mukuro came across him. He'd thought it would be simple to deal with the bipolar storm but he was easily overpowered by the guardian. _Is that what a man on a mission is capable of? _Mukuro mused as he admitted to himself that G had earned his respect and hatred for that. If he hadn't been in a hurry to find Chrome maybe the child would have even tried to get back at him. Yet now wasn't the time for that.

Earlier Tsuna had run off in the same direction as Gokudera but now he regretted it. Bombs were being tossed around haphazardly and for once he was glad Daemon was there. He actually had quite a good eye if he could use his scythe to cut the end of the fuse off the dynamite. Although all the weapons were immediately defused, once they were sent out Tsuna was still froze in fear. If he wasn't he would have been long gone. Being in the heart of an explosion wouldn't be something he wanted.

Yet the farthest the brunette had gotten was to hide behind a pillar as the two fought it out in what used to be the sitting room. Wasn't this supposed to be a pillow fight? He thought about that right before he felt a hand touch his shoulder. He squeaked as he whirled around to face whoever it was.

Kyoya stood over him staring down at him with cold grey eyes. Then he took hold of his hand and hauled him out of there. Tsuna had no idea where they were going but at that point he didn't really care. If he stayed there any longer he would have had a heart attack. The two went from hallway to hallway before Tsuna began to recognize where they were. Kyoya seemed to be headed in any random direction but this was the way to Giotto's room.

Suddenly the skylark stopped and pushed Tsuna up against the wall. It felt like a snake was hissing in his face as the other boy spoke, "I told you to find me when the game started, Herbivore." Now that he said that Tsuna did recall him telling him that. "Why did you stay with that loud-mouth herbivore?" If he wasn't so forgetful his friend wouldn't be mad. He wouldn't be dragging his hands under his shirt and up his chest to toy with his ni-wait what?

Glancing down he saw what Kyoya was doing. Tsuna didn't know what was happening but it certainly felt weird. For a little while more cold hands slowly went up and down his sides. Sometimes they veered off course and scratched his stomach or nipples. A soft sound escaped his mouth when Kyoya did this. Then suddenly he felt gentle lips touch his. This was that thing called kiss again wasn't it? His mom used to give him one every morning. Yet as his lips were forced apart and a tongue slithered inside he knew this was very different from what his mom did.

Tsuna shuddered as Kyoya intertwined his tongue with his own. He think he understood now the conversation his mom had with one of her few friends. She said his father tasted of beer and cigarettes but that wasn't how Kyoya tasted. No, the brunette thought as he decided to move his muscle in tune with the other child's, he tastes like vanilla…and blood. He pulled back from the metallic taste. The kiss stopped and both boys were left breathless.

When Hibari decided to look at the herbivore he saw a trail of saliva sliding down his chin. Gently, he wiped it away. He'd seen his mother get kisses like that before but never did he think it would feel that good. Waning more yet seeing that Tsuna was still catching his breath he went for the herbivores neck. Attacking his erogenous spot the black-haired child sucked and nipped at it. Tsuna soon became a puddle of goo in his hands, one that he couldn't hold up and still please.

So when Hibari's eye caught sight of the door farther down the hallway he pulled the boy into the room. The walls were painted a golden hue and the blankets shared the same color. Dragging the herbivore onto the bed he pushed him down into the soft covers. Thinking Tsuna might freak out if he did it without telling him he leaned down and whispered into his ear, "I'm going to suck you." The brunette twitched, not saying anything but the question was plainly seen in his gaze. Where? And so he gave him the answer by sneaking his hand between the herbivore's legs.

Giotto stared into what used to be the mansion's sitting room. The contents of the room were all broken, expect the bookcase where he once hid Alaude's favorite book when he'd gotten mad at him for something that he couldn't even remember now. Right before Gokudera was thrown into that last piece of furniture he wondered if he ever gave that book back to Alaude or if it was still in there. It probably was, he mused as the silver-haired boy withdrew dynamite from his pocket. His gloved hand slammed into the arch of the entryway and while the fighting stopped he was already estimating how much this was going to cost to repair.

The Vongola were well off but their wealth never increased by much. They were spending their money as fast as they were making it. Broken pieces of all kinds of things were pushed off to the side leaving a very open, if not destroyed room. It was the perfect place to end this pillow war and since he already planned for it he smiled. Right then G came in from the other entry point. A few minutes ago they heard sounds coming from here and planned to ambush whoever was inside the room.

Giotto's smile faded when from between G's legs the children crawled into the room. Ryohei was the first and instead of immediately getting on his feet he continued to crawl. After him came Mukuro, who helped chrome get to her feet. The last was Yamamoto who got trapped when G noticed and snapped his legs closed. Giotto made a move to go to G but he felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning, he saw Asari standing behind him. Smiling at him, his rain guardian gave him a little push so there was enough space to slide into the room. Knuckle came in through the space Asari created, following after his fellow guardian.

The blonde had seen no point in them doing this, if they just asked he would have moved aside. G saw them then and glared over at the two. "Traitors!" He only got that one word out since Yamamoto suddenly began to wiggle out from between his legs. The movement jostled him enough for him to lose his balance and while straitening himself Yamamoto got free. Giotto stared at his sun and rain guardians for a second and then began to frown again.

Although the people in the room tensed all the Vongola boss did was cross his arms and sigh. "You could have just told me that you wanted to side with the kids. If you had I wouldn't feel so heartbroken right now." The twinkle in his eyes clearly stated that he was having fun with this situation but G took this the wrong way. His thought process was that Asari and Knuckle hurt Giotto's feelings so the instant response was to attack.

Knuckle didn't even have time to blink before the pillow packed with the storm guardian's fury gave him a blow to the stomach. Yet right as the second attack came it was stopped. Asari took the hit from the pillow for him and he also grabbed G's hands to stop farther blows from coming. The smile on his face was tentative, "…How about we wait a-" A pillow came barreling down from behind him right onto his head. His hat floated to the ground as he winced in pain. "Haha that hurt, Giotto."

That playful hit lit the fuse and Gokudera shouted, "Everyone attack!" A long drawn out war started within the already destroyed room at the sound of the command. It didn't stop when Giotto realized it was already well into four in the morning and that the kids should really be in bed or when he caught on that Tsuna wasn't with them. What stopped their idiotic playing was the sound of light footsteps at the entrance to the room. Giotto turned expecting it to be Tsuna considering how loud the footsteps were but he got a shock. Alaude was standing there staring right at the broken bookcase.

The all-powerful boss of one of the strongest mafia families out their paled slightly. He figured that his cloud guardian knew about where he hid that book of his and pretended not to just to let his lover have his way. Now he must regret that decision that left pages, which could be from his book, in disarray around the room. Giotto knew that Alaude was enraged and that the light footfalls he heard earlier were the equivalent of a stomp for the ever silent cloud. In this kind of situation he needed to find a scapegoat so that the whole family wouldn't be injured. Alaude stared right at him before he let out that voice of his that could freeze lava, "Who?"

Don't get him wrong Giotto wasn't one who liked fighting within the family, quite the contrary actually but right now he had no choice. He thought that it was for the good of the family that he instantly pointed at Daemon. It was his fault anyway, Gokudera didn't fly into it of his own free will now did he? As Alaude began to try his best to thrash his fellow guardian Asari rounded up the children. "It's best to go to sleep now." Before blood is spilled...Even though Mukuro much rather would have stayed Chrome convinced him that it was better if they went to bed.

It was then that Gokudera realized Tsuna wasn't here and started to have a panic attack. Knuckle reassured him that the brunette probably got tired and went to bed. He would check to see if that was true while Asari put them to bed. Gokudera followed the priest all the way to his cherished Tenth's room to make sure the numbskull didn't think a pile of blankets was a sleeping kid. When they got to the door they peeked in and saw Tsuna sleeping there peacefully. After that Knuckle brought Gokudera to his room and left only when he thought the child wouldn't crawl out of bed and join the brunette.

Once all the children were sleeping and Alaude stopped trying to kill Daemon, Giotto went to his room to settle in for the night. The pillow fight had been fun but it left him drained. All he wanted was to fall onto his bed and sleep for hours, at least until G came to wake him up for his morning paperwork. Right when he opened the door to his would be safe haven he noticed he wouldn't have a restful night. His hyper intuition was going crazy and telling him that he shouldn't sleep on his bed tonight. Nothing had really changed since he left, maybe his blankets had a few extra wrinkles but that could be his imagination. Well either way he wouldn't chance it. He put the pillow he was holding onto the couch and sat down. He would sleep there for the night. Tomorrow he would get a new mattress.

**Longest chapter so far, hopes that makes up for it being so late. Half the wait was me being lazy and the other being too busy. SORRY!**


	12. Horrible Birthday

**Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman Reborn and its characters do not belong to me, they belong to Amano Akira**

**-Chapter Twelve-**

**Horrible Birthday **

You know that thing? The thing that can bring sorrow and joy, depending on how you spend it? Yeah, that thing called time. Two years pass by fast. 1,051,897.58 minutes isn't really that long at all. It goes by in a flash.

Giotto was storming through the mansion stopping every maid he met. Today was a very important day and yet everything was_ not_ in place! Where were the decorations, the little angels he'd taken time off work to make? Even the huge cake wasn't anywhere in sight. Usually, when he was in a bad mood the maids would always try to please him by doing exactly what he wanted and damn it he needed absolutely everything to be perfect this instant. Yet right now the maids that saw him were running away, trying not to be caught by him. Something was wrong but he didn't know what and that's what pissed him off the most.

His hyper intuition was telling him to make a beeline for the kitchen and so he did. Imagine his surprise when he came face to face with Alden, a longtime dishwasher of his. The tall man made a choking noise in the back of his throat before he yelled over his shoulder, "Abort!" The next second he was lying flat on his back as Giotto peeked into the kitchen. His eyes zeroed in on the edge of a trench coat disappearing out the side door. He glanced at the chef who was shaking badly over a median size cake, not the large he told him to bake. He already knew who the culprit was in this mess and just rushed passed the mentally scared cook. Too bad, even if he was new his roast beef was the best.

The blonde man burst through the door that the trench coat wearer went out from. No one was in sight but that wasn't unexpected at all, Alaude was fast and if he isn't caught soon he won't be caught. Right when he was losing hope of finding the cloud he saw him enter the maze in the backyard. He sped up and grabbed the older man's sleeve. Breathing heavy he decided that he would get out more and exercise. Try not to stay behind a desk all day. If he was out of shape while they were being attacked the results wouldn't be good.

His cloud guardian stared down at him as he caught his breath. "Alaude…why are you ruining Tsuna's party?" The second he had enough air he shouted at the other blonde man. A moment after his explosion he straightened up to stand at his full height. Even with that he was a several inches shorter, so he could still be looked down upon. "Now if you have a good reason I won't be mad." Tsuna had been here for two years already and he'd thought the cloud had gotten along surprisingly well with him. Though, if that was the case why would the man sabotage his birthday party?

Alaude didn't answer his question right away. Instead he took hold of Giotto's hand on his sleeve and with a persistent pressure removed it. They stared at one another until the older blonde lowered his eyes to the hand he was holding. Slowly, he brought it to his lips to kiss it and the action had the Vongola boss thinking of all the wicked things those lips could do. His body's temperature was rising and there was a slight hardening between his legs. Shifting his weight to his right foot he closed his eyes waiting for Alaude to give him a real kiss.

Giotto felt Alaude's warm breath against his neck and it started to travel upward towards his ear. His heart pounded a fierce beat since that was his sensitive spot but all that happened was the feeling of gentle lips rubbing his ear as the man spoke. "You're spoiling him too much." Realizing he'd been tricked his golden eyes snapped open and glared at the empty spot before him. The cloud had escaped into the maze. Hoping to be able to get everything back the way he wanted before the kids came down for breakfast, he marched off towards the mansion.

Tsuna woke up immediately after a ray of sunlight hit him, no matter how dim it was, it was a habit of his from before he came to the mansion. Rolling over he flung an arm over his eyes, once again he'd forgotten to close the curtains. The arms that had previously been lying around him tightened their hold. He felt the body next to him move so it could nuzzle his neck. "You disturbed my sleep, Herbivore." At this point, hearing the Hibari Kyoya saying those words any sane person, or one without a death wish, would run. Kyoya didn't like his sleep being interrupted for any reason and would bite the person who did to death. That was all true expect Tsuna was very much sane but felt no need to run. Only to him was Kyoya a gentle person. He foolishly trusted the 'friendship' they shared.

To pacify the now irritable skylark the brunette stopped all movement as not to upset him again. It didn't matter that he'd gone to sleep alone the night before. Kyoya usually snuck into his bed when he couldn't find the energy to go into the other's room himself. Even two years after he had gotten away from his old home he still got nightmares, sleeping with someone kept them away. In fact if his friend hadn't appeared in his bed this morning he would have been distressed.

Hibari felt cozy rolled up in the blankets with Tsuna. The only problem was the heat. It maybe October but having three thick layers of covers over them was too much. The only reason they had to sleep like this was because the herbivore was prone to catching colds. To a normal person colds aren't really that big of a deal but for Tsuna, it affects his body drastically. At one point he even fainted while taking a bath just because the water got a tad bit cool. The boy would have drowned if Giotto wasn't so over-protection that he ended up checking on him. Thanks to that the brunette isn't allowed to take baths alone, so he took them with Hibari. Yet even though he was cozy something was missing…

Tsuna was lying there just thinking if he should close the curtains when Kyoya released his hold on him. If he thought that meant the dark-haired child would leave he was dead wrong. He leaned over him sliding his cold hands up the brunette's thighs. Nipping at the flesh of his neck Kyoya kissed his way around his collarbone but once those cold hands were placed on his hips he stopped him with a unknown refusal. It was a subtle movement, one that could only be understood as a rejection from a long time of intimacy. All Tsuna needed to do to make it known that he wasn't in the mood was a twitch of his pinkie in _just_ the right way. It was a reaction that he hadn't even noticed and probably never would but it's what kept Kyoya at bay. If the brunette did know about the twitch he would try to fix it so the skylark never told him.

Pouting, Hibari moved away from the delicious herbivore that he wanted to swallow in one big gulp. Right after he got out of the bed so it wouldn't be so temping, the door opened. Yamamoto grinned at them from the doorway. "Gokudera asked me to come get you if you are not asleep. Seems Hibari got to you before I did. Hahaha." Just seeing that idiotic herbivore annoyed him enough to feel the need to grab his tonfas an obliterate him. That fake smile on his face pissed him off to the point where he actually had to look away. Still Tsuna gave the other child a hesitant smile and slid out of bed. "He wants us all to meet in the linen closet." With that the herbivore waved and went away.

The brunette thought about what Yamamoto said as he got dressed. Only the maids ever went to the linen closet but the sheets had been changed yesterday so there was no chance of anyone walking in on the group. It wasn't like the children gathered together often but that closet wasn't usually their meeting place. Right from the start everyone decided the kitchen would be where they talked, not in a closet. Of course the linen 'closet' shouldn't really be considered a closet at all, it was more like a linen 'room'. There were a lot of beds in the mansion so in turn there would be a lot of sheets and other things but that room really was too much. In the mist of thinking he was suddenly pulled out of his thoughts by the feeling of teeth nibbling on his neck.

Hibari knew the herbivore was thinking about things that were meaningless. Tsuna was the cautious type after all. If the boy thought everything through too much the simple things could turn complex and there was just no point to that. The only thing that came from it would be a nasty headache, something the brunette complained about a lot lately. So the reason he started to bite his neck lightly was to force him away from those complicated thoughts. Oh, who was he kidding? He just didn't like it when what the herbivore was thinking wasn't about him. If only these children realized sooner that this kind of thought process would only lead them astray.

Tsuna leaned back into the touch already used to this kind of contact. Yet two years of it didn't make it any less exciting for either of them. He couldn't quite name their kind of relationship but he was at least sure that it wasn't wrong. Nothing that felt this good could be wrong. Though there was once when he had an inkling that maybe it wasn't as right as he assumed. It was the one time that they'd been caught. Derek, the man who drove Giotto around saw them and the expression on his face went from shock to horror. He never really did understand why Derek sent him a letter after that saying that he was sorry for what he said. That he called them disgusting and to show how sorry he was he quit. Of course he never realized that the Vongola searched for their missing driver but never found him. Derek was presumed dead or a spy.

Suddenly the lips that were on his neck stopped moving and then Kyoya spun him around. They stared at one another for a while but when the taller boy leaned down, seemingly to kiss Tsuna he closed his eyes. Nothing happened and soon the brunette peeked out from under his lashes at Kyoya. He was smirking at him and he plucked his shirt forward a bit, "It's on backwards." For a second he didn't understand but when he looked down he saw his tag sticking out. Blushing, he quickly put his shirt on the right way. Sulking, the small kid turned his face away from the other boy. "Let's get going, Herbivore."

Yamamoto held onto the ladder Gokudera was standing on to keep him from falling. At first his temper got out of control and he yelled at him that he could do it himself but soon he had no energy left to argue. At least that's how Yamamoto liked to think about it. Really they were just short on time and since the last decoration needed to be up before the 'tenth' got there so Gokudera put up with him. He really should be glad he did because Yamamoto already counted three times where, if he wasn't holding it, the ladder would've fallen. Finally the sign, which was written in a messy scrawl, was hung up.

Gokudera crawled down from his high perch and stepped on Yamamoto's head. "Opps, sorry." Just from his tone of voice it was easy to see that the boy did it on purpose but he didn't let that bother him. He laughed stupidly but moved back as soon as both of the silver-haired child's feet hit the floor. Gokudera narrowed his eyes but didn't say anything. In the two years they'd been here together Yamamoto didn't get any closer to anybody than required. Not even Asari, who self-proclaimed himself as the boy's new family. In fact he only seemed to get colder. Yeah, now that he thought about it the only reason that man came after him to hug and spend time with him was because he couldn't do that with Yamamoto. Damn that idiot…

Before Yamamoto even saw it coming Gokudera had smacked him and walked away. "Mmm…what did I do?" The other kid muttered something but he couldn't hear what it was and truthfully he didn't care. If he got hit he got hit, the only thing that mattered was that it didn't kill him. No one said anything after that and the atmosphere in the room grew awkward. Luckily they were saved the trouble of fixing there growing rift because Ryohei came barreling into the room. Following behind him were Mukuro and Chrome.

"They're extremely coming!" Ryohei picked up the ladder and quickly stuffed it away. The room looked good enough, spectacular if you accounted for them being children. There were streamers scattered about, a few party-hats, and in the center of the room on a table a medium size cake. The frosting was spread uneven having been put on by Ryohei who had forcibly taken the job from Gokudera. The sign hung over the table read 'Happy Birthday' but since the ceiling was high if you didn't look for it you wouldn't see it.

The door opened and Gokudera turned towards it beaming but then Hibari walked in. The expression on his face instantly gave him enough wrinkles that he could pass for a midget of an old man. Tsuna peeked out from behind Hibari's back and his face softened. When the brunette was around it made him erase the existence of the bastard as a foe. As long as he treated the smaller boy well he didn't care how he acted towards others. Caught up in his lighting fast mood swings Gokudera stepped forward too late and Ryohei was the first to jump into Tsuna's face and wish him a happy birthday. Seething he roared, "Damn you turf-top!"

Hibari narrowed his eyes on the loudmouth herbivore after Tsuna covered his ears in fright, loud sounds still scared him. Taking out his tonfas he planned to smash the herbivore's skull in since like the brunette he hated noisy things. Though, a soft hand on his arm prevented him from doing so. Looking at the hand he followed it to the other boy's face. He shook his head, brown hair falling into his eyes. For a second he didn't do anything else but then he raised his head and smiled at the group of crowding herbivores. His eye twitched with irritating and the only thing that kept him in check was the hand still on his arm.

As their party went on in the 'linen closet' Giotto finished scolding the cook and the maids. Once that was done he had them fix things as best they could. Seeing that the preparations were as good as it could be after Alaude's interference, he went to wake up Tsuna. Checking his watch he began to take the stairs three at a time. The child had a tendency to wake early and if he didn't wake up on his own Gokudera would be at the door making sure no one woke 'Tenth' while he was sleeping.

Luckily, when he got to Tsuna's room there was no sign of Gokudera. Smiling, he turned the door knob and alarm bells rang in his head. Pushing the door the rest of the way open his eyes frantically searched for the boy. Realizing that there was no enemy in sight and that the alarm was just that the room had been empty when he thought it wasn't. Yet if Tsuna wasn't here where was he? Did Gokudera already nab him to wish him a happy birthday? He'd have to go ask G since last time he stepped foot into the bomber's room a dynamite was thrown in his face. The amount of money he spent fixing the mansion was massive but at least there was no bodily harm. Of course he didn't know if he'd get so lucky the next time so he was always careful when he went near Gokudera's room. G, the fortunate guy he was, never got dynamite tossed at him when he approached the child.

Giotto was leaving Tsuna's room right as G walked in and the two bumped into each other. The blonde man rubbed his head at the spot where it hit against his storm guardian's shoulder. "Giotto! Are you ok?" He grimaced but nodded and that was, surprisingly, enough for G. "I was wondering if you've seen that brat of mine. Have you?" In the process of shaking his head Giotto stopped moving completely. Tsuna and Gokudera were both missing?

"G, have the guardians check on the other kids. I'll go ask the maids if they've seen either Tsuna or Gokudera." Without any farther explanation he ran off towards the maid's quarters. The only thing that G understood was that two of the kids were gone. Gritting his teeth he went to make sure the other brats were right where they were supposed to be. If they weren't there, well the Vongola would tear the country apart looking for them.

As the guardians discovered that it wasn't just two but all the kids that were missing, those very seven children enjoyed their party. Tsuna was playing around with everyone having his fair share of fun as Hibari looked on with distain. If it wasn't the herbivore's birthday then he wouldn't have even let those other herbivores crowd together. This day didn't turn out as planned and it was irritating him. Tsuna was supposed to be alone with him for the entire day, which was how it should have been. Yet these annoying, crowding, noisy herbivores got in the way.

It was as Hibari watched them chase each other around that he felt that pain in his chest. This pain was very much alike the one he had the first day he met the brunette, when he backed up in fright, that horrible stupid feeling of rejection. If there were other people around who could be his friend then the herbivore would abandon him. The worry of that had always been there but lately they have been getting closer to each other. The herbivore seemed to be drifting away from him; he hadn't even accepted the birthday gift he tried to give him yesterday. Hibari was looking for the perfect weapon for the other boy, so he was still miffed that he hadn't accepted the knife.

Tsuna was nibbling on a carrot from the food tray, which didn't consist of very much, when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning he stared up at Gokudera who had a wide smile on his face. Noticing the card in the silver-haired child's hand he pointed to it and then to himself. Gokudera nodded and gave it to him with both hands, bowing a little. "Happy birthday, Tenth! We all signed it, even that bast-even Hibari." Opening it gently the brunette began to read the little notes on it, grateful for once that the maids had taken time out of their day to teach him to read all those months ago. Water pooled in his eyes and he tried to wipe it away before the tears fell.

A lone tear drop slipped out onto his cheek and suddenly there was a tongue there, licking up the liquid on his cheek. Peering out from the corner of his eye he gave a little gasp. Kyoya was the only one who would ever do this but here was Mukuro, doing what he least expecting again. Tsuna couldn't look him in the eye even as the other boy stared at him. After a while he just chuckled and retreated a little. "Kufufu…this is my gift, Tsuna." An indigo colored rose was placed in front of his face for him to see.

It was so beautiful that the brunette was afraid to touch it. If Mukuro passed it to him and the flower was dirtied he would never be forgiven. Yet the blue-haired kid insisted so as gently as he could he took hold of it. Once his finger tip make contact with the rose a flood of images poured into his mind. In each of these pictures no one had a face but they all felt familiar. The one factor that stayed the same throughout the images was the presence of a boy turned man, who even without a face had similarities to Daemon Spade. Finally after his head began to ache to the point that he couldn't ignore it he jerked his hand away from the flower.

Nearly at the same time Mukuro did the same. In what was seemingly slow motion the rose drifted down to land on the floor between the two children. Tsuna gasped lifting a hand to hold his head but Mukuro remained still as a stone. Right as Tsuna's gift hit the floor the door was pushed open giving no time for anyone to react to what had just occurred.

Giotto rushed into the room followed by the other adults but he froze a few steps into the room. This resulted in everyone bumping into one another. The only one that was spared was Alaude. Lampo, who stood behind him, had enough sense to not walk too closely but still reeled in shock and fell backwards. He was gonna be the first to complain but stopped short at seeing the state of the linen closet. Everything showed that this was a party and they were intruders.

The Vongola boss could only gape at what stood before him. They all stayed there for a minute in their pile looking at the decorations the kids put up for Tsuna. Slowly, Giotto got back on his feet and went over to the brunette. Smiling he leaned down and brought the child into a tight bear hug. "You have such good friends, Tsuna. Never forget how important friends are, okay?" While holding on to the boy he turned to look at the other children. "You really did do a fantastic job."

As Giotto was complimenting things around the room the door opened and a maid popped her head into the linen closet. "Master Primo, there is someone here demanding to see you and your guardians." Alaude's hand twitched wanting to take out his handcuffs in his desire to arrest anyone who demanded for him to do anything. Though, Lampo was the one who had a major problem with it. Going to see someone for a reason that wasn't explained to him couldn't be more troublesome and with a lazy wave of his hand tried to escape.

A heavy hand landed on his shoulder and from his peripheral vision he saw that G was nearly breathing fire again. "What do you think you're doing giving that 'see ya' gesture and leaving?" For a moment Lampo just stared at him like he just sprouted wings. "…What?" The green haired ten turned around to face him and he let his hand drop from his shoulder.

Suddenly, Lampo's hand came up and he poked G in the nose. "You didn't yell. It was surprising." The storm guardian stood there stunned as the teenager left the room. The following silence was heavy and he could feel all their eyes on him. Frustrated, he rushed out of the room after the thunder guardian yelling his name. The other occupants of the room burst out in laughter, but it was mostly the children that found this everyday routine funny.

Tsuna chuckled a little at the guardians display but noticed the rose from before lying on the ground. After picking it up and dusting it off he smiled at the gift Mukuro had given him, forgetting completely about the events from before. So engrossed in admiring the rose was he that the brunette didn't realize Kyoya was staring at him. Although being looked at wouldn't bother him but the way in which the skylark gazed at him could have unnerved him. Those grey eyes that peered at him could have chilled him to his very core with how intense they were. Bringing the flower up to his nose to sniff it his arm was caught and he was pulled forward into Kyoya's chest. The grip on him tightened as he looked up into the other boy's face then he was dragged out of the party.

Gokudera saw the bastard forcing the tenth to leave and launched himself at Hibari but instead of hitting him he bumped into a soft, much larger body. Glaring up at the maid he yelled at her to get the fuck out of his way. She didn't listen only smiled down at him, "If I let you go who's going to clean up the closet? Master Daemon told me that because you made the mess you should kids should clean it also." The maids could add this room to their list since they'd be too busy fixing the chaos in the rest of the house, AKA the mess Giotto made in the form of a party that hadn't happened. "I only let Master Tsuna go because it is his birthday."

"…What about Hibari? Why'd you let him go?" The maid didn't answer Gokudera and her smile faded a bit. "Ha, what a great job you do, not stopping him just because you are too afraid!"

The women twitched at his words but instead of taunting him back childishly she pointed behind him where the other children were getting right to the cleaning. "Just join them will you? The quicker you get this done the faster you can go see Tsuna." Gokudera seemed to perk up at this and went to help everybody. Sighing, the maid left the room closing the door as she did so. Right as the door closed with a click she heard the sound of a plate shattering and Gokudera yelling at Ryohei for dropping the cake. The mess might just get bigger if she did as Daemon said but there was no way she'd disobey the mist guardian.

Once Hibari and Tsuna were out of the room with the crowding herbivores he tore the rose out of his herbivore's hand. Crushing it within his fist he dropped it and glared at Tsuna, "Don't crowd with them." He picked the brunette up even as he stood there shock at the skylark's behavior. Carrying him towards his own room the struggling only began after they were already halfway there.

"Kyoya-nii, why did you do that? That was Mukuro-nii's gift, what if he sees it and thinks of it as an insult?"

Suddenly, Tsuna's body was slammed into the wall and unlike the first time it happened Kyoya wasn't being gentle. His hand was at his throat and he could barely breathe. "_Don't_ call him that." The brunette could only gaze at him uneasily, he had called Mukuro that many times before but this was the first time Kyoya seemed to have a major problem with it. Usually he only growled and little and a little hug could stop even that but now he was just so…scary. "Herbivore, you can't get any closer to them then need be."

Even though he was scared Tsuna still chocked out a question, "W-why?"

Hibari stared at him and then yanked him away from the wall. "…I'll show you why."

Reborn was sleeping peacefully when the door to the hideout opened. It woke him up but he didn't bother opening his eyes even as the person who came in ran over to him. What forced him to open his eyes was Uni's panicked voice. "Reborn! Hibari is about to do something terrible. We have to go to the past quick to stop him." Immediately Reborn got up and headed towards the lab together with Uni. In the elevator he asked what the cloud guardian was doing that is so horrible. "I may have not told you everything when you asked for me to check into lives the guardians had in the past. I _did_ find something on Hibari's; I thought it wouldn't affect their interactions too much so I didn't find the need to tell you."

"Get on with it, Uni."

"…Hibari is about to express his love for Tsuna."

"What's wrong with that?"

Uni took a deep breath and turned her head to look at Reborn. "Hibari's mother lived at a brothel. She performed her…services in front of him. Her actions may have led him to believe that was the way to show love."

The elevator was incased in silence for a minute and then the baby spoke up, "Tsuna's about to be raped?"

"…Depending on if he goes along with it or not, yes he is." She handed him the papers in her hand that reported on Hibari's entire life before he can into the Vongola rain guardian. "After I look at it a little deeper there might be other things that could affect the way things go for the Decimo's family in there."

Tsuna was thrown roughly onto Kyoya's bed and being scared out of his wits as he was he tried to crawl off the mattress but the other child stopped him. Fingers wrapped around his wrists and held them over his head as his friend leaned over him. "How do you like it?" The brunette looked up at him with tears in his eyes not knowing what that meant. "Silence means you want me to do it as I prefer." With how harsh he was being treated that's certainly not what he wanted but before he could even shake his head Kyoya's lips were on his. His pants were being pulled on but nothing was too different from usual, besides how rough the skylark was being, so he decided to go along with it. Lifting his hips he made it easier for his pants and underwear to come off.

That's when things began to change. Instead of doing anything to his front Kyoya flipped him over and did something he never did before. Tsuna felt something wet touch his entrance and let out a squeak. "What are you doing, Kyoya-nii? That's dirty!" Even though he protested his friend didn't stop and the licking only seemed to get more insistent. After a while the brunette started to let out pleased sounds and gave up trying to fight against Kyoya. "Ahh!" He shuddered as the tongue was finally removed and he was turn over onto his back.

Expecting to start their usual routine Tsuna was surprised when three fingers were placed in front of his face. "Suck." Confused but compliant he took the other boy's fingers into his mouth. This went on for a couple of minutes as Kyoya used his other hand to caress the rest of his body. Then they were taken out only to enter his body a different way. The brunette cried out in pain, "Kyoya-nii stop it hurts!" Although the dark-haired boy didn't stop the moment of his fingers, which he had suddenly thrust into Tsuna, he did slow them down a bit. "Pl-please stop…"

Yet Kyoya wouldn't stop and as the pain subsided some the fingers were pulled out only to have something much larger be pushed into him. "Aaargh! Stop, Kyoya-nii!" The pure agony of the penetration had his vision going hazy. Though Tsuna begged and pleading for his friend to stop, he never did. "Why are…you doing this…Kyoya-nii?" Tears were pouring down his face and he tried to cover the horrid sight but the skylark wouldn't even let him do that. His hands were caught and brought up over his head, only then did he thought about how he could have scratched and pushed the bigger boy off of him.

Why did Kyoya have to do this painful thing to him? Didn't he see him as a friend like he did? _Of course he didn't._ A little voice in his head spoke up. _Who could see the useless you as a friend? They'd have to be crazy! _Had nothing changed since two years ago? He was still being hurt and only because he had done something wrong again. Kyoya was trying to help him become better, like his father used to when he punished him. _That's so kind of him isn't it? He does this to you because you need the punishment so you remember what you did wrong. _That reminds him, what did he do? Oh yeah, he had stupidly crowded with the others. He shouldn't have tried to be friendly with them.

As the brunette retreated into his mind to block out the pain Hibari continued to thrust into the boy. He understood a now why his mother made all those sounds when she did this with those men. The act was very pleasurable and it must have been for his mother to. So why was Tsuna being so quiet now? Besides the occasional whimper here and there he hadn't made many noises. _ This is why I destroyed that rose Tsuna, why I won't let you crowd with them. I love you…_Along with the pleasure doing this with the herbivore brought; he could feel his heart lighten. It felt good to show the herbivore that he loved him. Leaning down he kissed the brunette on his forehead as he climaxed. He mistook the tears of pain on his face for those of the type his mother once shed.

Uni and Reborn were nearing the Vongola mansion when she suddenly stopped in her tracks wearing a tortured expression. "We're too late." Not knowing what to do for once, Reborn stood by her side staring down at the snow covered ground. Had he really done the right thing in leading Tsuna here on this night two years ago? This may not have happened with Hibari if he didn't but it just would have been done by his father instead. Between the two he knew this end was better, at least he was raped by someone he had loved in the future. While they were standing there the baby caught sight of a woman inside the mansion talking to Primo's famiglia. He vaguely recognized her from a report he had on the lives of Tsuna and his guardians of the past. It was his student's mother.

**I hope you don't get too mad at me for making Tsuna suffer more but this is how I had intended for the story to go. I'm thinking about making the next chapter a special one, to show Hibari's past but it might be a normal one. If it is I'll do his special chapter later. By the way when they celebrate Tsuna's birthday in the past it is the day Giotto found him. I thought if he told them his real one Alaude could find his family just with that info so I think this works best.**


	13. The Jump

**Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman Reborn and its characters do not belong to me, they belong to Amano Akira**

**-Chapter Thirteen-**

**The Jump **

Inside the mansion, although the sun shined brightly outside, one of the rooms was encased in darkness. A young boy sat on the floor with his back against the bed just staring at the door. Expression blank, he wondered if it would open while hoping it wouldn't. Yet, somewhere in the recesses of his mind he wanted it to open and expose him for what he was. For anyone, anybody to find him like this. See the smile, that usually shined on his face, wasn't there when he was alone. For once, just once, he wished that his strange behavior was noticed. How, when someone got a tad bit too close he shied away. Maybe they'd realize he had plans to run away soon.

Yamamoto's back slipped down from where he leaned on the bed and slowly slid to the floor. Looking up at the ceiling he blinked rapidly, surprised by the sudden fall. If he paid more attention it wouldn't have been such a shock but he'd been lost in thought. Earlier, after the children cleaned up after their party, Gokudera, who seemed to hate him so, came up and offered to let him join them in finding Tsuna to hang out. That was weird because he could have sworn out of everyone the silver-haired boy would be the one he didn't need to try not to get close to.

For Gokudera it seemed like second nature to made snide comments at him whenever he could so his actions were unexpected. So strange were they that Yamamoto almost accepted unknowingly, usually he could say yes to anything the other boy said. Right after he refused the invitation he witnessed the change of expression on Gokudera's face. For a split second he'd actually looked…worried. Though it vanished as fast as it appeared but the words that slipped passed those lips of his next stuck with the boy even now. "_I know what you are planning…_" Yamamoto murmured, repeating the phrase that kept haunting him.

Troubled thoughts filled his mind and he wondered just what Gokudera knew. How could he have obtained knowledge of his plans? It shouldn't have been obvious, but could it have been seen through easily? He just couldn't stop thinking of those words and what they could mean for him. The two years he spent waiting and training here would all be wasted. If the adults found out what he was planning to do he'd bet they wouldn't let him out of their sight…

Training? Could that have been when Gokudera figured it out? The young black-haired boy did tend to encourage himself with words, Gokudera could have heard him then. It was a definite possibility. Well, if the other child really knew then he should ask him not to tell anyone. Standing up from his slumped position he rushed out of his room hoping it wasn't too late.

* * *

><p>Giotto, with his guardians around him, took his seat in the once destroyed sitting room that had taken quite a bit of money to fix. Yet the incident happened so long ago that if Alaude didn't keep reminding him of that damn book of his he would have forgotten it. Now he sat there waiting for their guest to be escorted in.<p>

Although, the blonde boss of the Vongola famiglia appeared calm and composed, inside he was restless. The only people who demanded he meet with them were usually classified as a threat, but with the children here he couldn't have assassins hanging outside the mansion. Leaning his head on the palm of his hand he kept his eyes on the arch where their guest would enter the room. With the comforting weight of his gloves in his pocket he felt like he could take on anyone who walked through that entryway.

While the guardians, along with their boss, watched a women stepped into the room with an expression that wasn't too friendly. Giotto sat up a little straighter at the sight of her and one or two of the guardians fidgeted. Now, please understand that even though he is Vongola Primo, who could command thousands of men with a wave of his hand, a man who controlled the mafia world, that's just what he was, a man. Being a man meant that one of the scariest things he could encounter would be a women scorned and that seemed to be what was in front of him at this very moment.

If it was physical confrontation he would win, hands down. But this woman didn't look stupid enough to try that. Nope, this would be a verbal bout of some kind. He prepared himself for anything while wondering which of his guardians messed up now. Giotto steeled himself for the hard words but the least expected sentence came out of her mouth. "Give me back my son." For a split second all his guardians had a 'what the fuck' look on their faces but Alaude and Daemon recovered fast. G and the others were slower in regaining their wits.

Lampo was the first to break the silence after the woman spoke, "Ma'am, we don't kidnap brats. I think you are mistaking us for a different famiglia." That could be considered the politest the teenager had ever been, but G poked him in the side all the same. Giotto was supposed to be the one talking, though without time to think about it he would have said something similar.

When the blonde became able to think rational again, his thoughts flashed to the children they have been taking in. Sadly, she asked for only a son and so that meant they couldn't get rid of Mukuro. After all, Chrome was his sister and a mother would ask for both, he was sure. That left Ryohei, Hibari, Tsuna, Gokudera, and Yamamoto. None of which he was willing to give up easily. Hibari maybe, but he and Tsuna were so attached to one another that they seemed like a packaged deal to him. The brunette could feel like he was thrown away if the other boy left. "Ma'am," he started, using Lampo's way of addressing her, "What's your son's name?"

The woman, though uneasy at being in a room filled with mafia members, lifted her chin and spoke proudly, "Tsunayoshi Sawada Rossi." The name was strange, even foreign sounding, but it had just come to her after she saw his tiny face, almost like magic. "Now, someone trustworthy told me you had him, so don't even try to lie." She went on, not even noticing the way some of the guardians gasped or hardened their gaze.

Alaude took a step forward; planning to question the lady about the child's father but Giotto inconspicuously placed his toes in his path. Pushing the foot away with the side of his own he made it clear that he would not hold his tongue, but while he did that the other started to speak, "Yes, we have him. We just celebrated the day he showed up here not even two hours ago." Shifting in his seat the man locked eyes with her, "It's been two years, what took you so long?"

Millions of reasons trickled into his blonde head but they all sounded like excuses. If a mafia boss couldn't come up with anything how would she? "I didn't know he was missing until yesterday. When I came to take him away from my husband, Tsunayoshi wasn't there."

She remembered the moment she discovered he was gone so vividly that her heart still felt constrictions when she thought about it. For a while she'd been sure that his father killed him but the bastard soon sobered up enough to realize she was there and tell her otherwise. Of course the woman hadn't made it out without bruises but it was worth trying to reconnect with her son. The man she ran off with finally told her they were financially stable enough to bring Tsunayoshi to live with them and she hadn't wasted a moment in finding him.

The cloud watched the look on Primo's face change, the stone mask the mafia forced him to wear broke, revealing the boy-turned-man who'd tried so hard to protect his hometown. This expression of his, which he rarely wore now, was what made Alaude fall in love with his boss. It forced you to see the pure raw emotions of the man. With the right feelings put into that face it could have a cold hearted bastard, like himself, have the sensation that they actually felt it with the blonde. Right now, he had on a grim smile as his eyes filled with sadness.

Alaude's instincts were urging him to comfort Giotto and attack the person who made his beloved sad all at once. He settled for sliding a tiny bit closer to his lover, since he didn't want to be seen hugging the boss of Vongola because people would start to think Giotto was weak, which he definitely wasn't.

Noticing his cloud guardian edge closer filled Giotto with relief. The nearness of Alaude let him release all the tension in his body, making the words come easier even if they hurt. "Since he is old enough to make these decisions on his own we'll let…Tsunayoshi decide who he stays with." In his mind he knew two years couldn't even compare to six. If given the choice, usually a child would want their parent over someone they knew for such a short amount of time. The boy's mother had an advantage with these set of rules.

Some of the guardians closed their eyes in resignation; they wouldn't be able to talk Primo out of this one. He let Tsuna decide to make up for the separation he thought was his fault. Asari started to walk out of the room to find the child when the mother shook her head and voiced her opinion on the matter, "No, I can't let him stay here even if he wants to. For goodness sake you're in the Mafia!" The female brunette pointed angrily at Giotto. "I have heard about some of the things you have done. Do you actually believe it is okay to raise a kid in this environment?!" Huffing, the woman stood a little straighter once she finished.

"…Some of the things I have done?" In all honesty he couldn't think of anything horrible he'd had to do of late.

Hands on hips Tsuna's mother stared down at him. "Don't act innocent. The Vongola destroyed that gang of thugs that called themselves The Guns! Instantly the blonde understood. He'd asked for the group to be peacefully disbanded and Alaude had them arrested. No one got hurt but just the sight of his cloud guardian leaving their hideout would cause misunderstandings, considering his bad reputation. The sudden disappearance of the gang probably had people thinking they were six feet under. The police never tried to tame rumors even though all they had to do was say all members of The Guns were arrested, not dead.

A sudden gasp made everyone turn to locate what had made the sound. Yamamoto's head was resting against the frame of the arch, eye wide, mouth agape, horror plainly written on his facial features. Seeing their eyes on him he ducked his head out of the room and dashed off. It was quiet for a minute before Asari got his wits together and chased the boy.

* * *

><p>Yamamoto went from room to room searching for Tsuna. Gokudera said he would look for him after, so he was pretty sure he would find the silver-haired child with the other boy. If not then sooner or later he would show up to collect the mouse-like kid. He had just peeked into the sitting room when he heard something that made his blood run cold.<p>

The adults were…Mafia? Wasn't that what those men who came into his home were? Asari, who saved him, was part of that despicable group; though he tried not to get attached to anyone he'd done it subconsciously. Asari had been the last person he thought would be involved in things like that. Somehow he felt betrayed. He still stood there looking into the room when he heard something much worse than the people he lived with being part of the mafia. The Guns, who he's devoted his young life to getting revenge on, were already destroyed. He didn't even realize he'd gasped when he heard that until he noticed everyone staring at him. Scared by the sudden attention he dashed off, wanting to think about this by himself.

Yamamoto felt tears sting his eyes but he suppressed them. _Now Son, don't go crying. Men don't shed tears. _Squeezing his eyes shut he ran faster. Without any plan in mind he just went any which way he pleased. Finally when his lungs just couldn't take it anymore he slowed down and came to a stop. His breathing slipped back into place after a few minutes, being active really did help the body.

Taking notice of his surroundings the boy realized he'd run up to Lampo's tower. Slowly, he lowered himself until his knees were totally bent and let his head hang between them. Since he was brought to this mansion he'd trained, working hard to become strong. The purpose of avoiding everyone and working out disappeared in an instant. In the last couple of years getting revenge for his dad became everything to him, his life revolved around it. Now, because of that his world was collapsing around him. What was the point of all this? His own father sacrificed himself so he could run away. The Guns were gone so there was nothing left for him.

Unshed tears blurred Yamamoto's vision but he wouldn't let them out. It was then as he thought about what he should do next an idea came to him. Suicide. He'd seen it once before, not to long before his dad was killed. A woman-no, she looked more like a girl standing on that ledge all bruised and battered-that lived a few houses down from them, climbed out her window and stared up at the star filled sky. He'd been walking home hand-in-hand with his dad after spending the day playing at a friend's house, when he noticed her.

They'd still been about two houses away and the black-haired boy's father was talking to him about something, he couldn't quite remember what. At first he wondered what she'd was looking at with such a sad expression on her face and tried to find it but didn't see anything interesting. Then she glanced down and stared right at him with a big smile on her lips.

It seemed to be filled with immense happiness, the type he'd never seen her wear before. It made her look more beautiful than he previously thought. So, he pointed this out to his dad, who glanced up just as she deliberately tipped her body forward and fell. Yamamoto's eyes were covered quickly but because of the haste in which his dad did it he forgot to close his fingers together. Through the little gaps he saw her smile change to one of great relief right before she hit the ground.

Later his father tried to explain what death meant to him. During that talk he learned that what the girl had done was called suicide, though their little chat mostly was about what death was. It hadn't made much sense to him because he already understood the concept of dead. It meant that Mommy wouldn't be able to hold him anymore, that sooner or later her scent would disappear completely from their house. Never again would he hear her soft voice that always sang him to sleep. It meant she couldn't kiss his booboos while telling him everything was ok. The family Mommy left behind held back their tears that wanted to fall from missing her so. But she'd be in a better place, that's what consoled them.

Yet, for Yamamoto death would be different. People wouldn't mourn him since there was no one left to do so. Two years ago the last person who loved him died. Standing on wobbling knees the eight year old inched towards the window, moving slowly. Nothing was left in life and that woman had seemed so happy after she jumped. That's the way he wanted to feel right now, to erase all the pain his heart was feeling.

Those emotions moved him and he lifted himself onto the windowsill. For a moment the sun blinded him and he wondered if it really was okay to do this on Tsuna's birthday. After all, he didn't want the boy to have to remember Yamamoto killed himself on this day. Then a tiny ugly voice seemed to whisper into his ear, _Come on, do it. Those people won't care, nobody cares. Not even that fake daddy of yours. _The voice frightened him deeply; he knew that he hadn't thought that. No, something…someone was urging him to do it and without his permission his body tilted a little bit, like he'd been pushed lightly from behind.

Although he wanted to do it, he didn't want it to happen because someone influenced him to. Before the voice could give him another push, he bent his knees and launched himself forward. Right as he did that the door slammed open but he wouldn't get the chance to see who it was, he'd be on the ground by then. Gokudera's voice called out to him and even though the wind hurt his eyes he opened them. He saw a flash of silver and green before h needed to close his eyes again but Yamamoto knew it was Gokudera. No one except him possessed those shockingly bright green eyes that you could lose yourself in for hours unend. Now that he thought about it he wished he'd done that just once instead of always looking away.

* * *

><p>Gokudera, while in the middle of searching for Tsuna came across Asari who asked if he'd seen idiot #2 around. (Idiot #1 being Ryohei since he had to associate with him more.) Which, he'd responded to by asking the rain guardian how he could lose such a freakishly tall child. From the way he wasn't scolded made him sure something was amiss, Asari normally tried to teach him not to use such rude words. Which, by the way, he'd never put in any effort to fix.<p>

Still he couldn't help but worry right? What if the idiot ran away? Tsuna wouldn't be happy about that. So he had no choice but to look for him. That's the only reason he even bothered trying to find Yamamoto. Once in a while, when the situation forced it, the idiot played with the others and during those times he'd seen the boy run. Calculating how far he could have gone before getting winded was easy.

Except Gokudera had to back trace his steps once he didn't find Yamamoto where he should have been. It led him passed Lampo's tower stairs where he paused for a moment. Doing a quick check of the earlier calculation showed it was within range. Yet had the idiot seriously gone up there to hide? If Asari saw him go up he would have trapped himself. "…So stupid." So he started up the stairs wondering what condition the other boy would be in when he made it to the top.

It seemed to take forever as the minutes dragged on. The only thing that kept him from stopping to take a break was the thought that Lampo, that lazy ass, did this almost every day. He actually gained a new respect for the green haired teenager. It was kinda ingenious in a way, Lampo made sure no one would bother chasing him this far, a tower fit for a coward.

Finally reaching the top Gokudera's anger hit it's boiling point. Couldn't he have chosen a better place to hide? Collecting that anger he slammed open the door and started to march in to tell the other boy off. Though the plan changed after he took one step into the room and saw Yamamoto leap off the windowsill. "Yamamoto!" Instantly, he was at the window looking down.

The silver-haired boy felt a chill go down his spine when his eyes caught sight of the idiot's brown ones. The look in those eyes seemed so…dead, filled with resignation. So Gokudera did the only thing he could think of in that moment. He called out for the boy who tried to cover up his laugher when he realized it was real, the boy who seemed so ashamed to be happy but wanted happiness so badly. The child under all the vengeance, an innocent he never had the chance to meet. "Takeshi!"

Shutting his eyes tightly Gokudera wished that he didn't have to witness this, that the ground wasn't so hard. If so every bone in Yamamoto's body wouldn't break even if he hit it from this height. With his eyes closed he couldn't see it but as the black-haired boy continued to fall towards his doom the ground seemed to shift, changing color as it did so. It turned a reddish orange hue and if Gokudera would have had his eyes open he'd have seen the way the Yamamoto bounced right off the ground zooming back up and going through the open window.

The suddenness of having Yamamoto's too tall body crash into his own with its crushing weight stunned him. Also winded him and that just pissed him off all the more. When he got his breath back he yelled, "Are you really a fucking eight year old?!" His green eyes flashed when he got no response, so he started trying to kick the idiot off even though his legs were trapped beneath his. "Move already you idiot!"

Finally after struggling for a few more minutes Gokudera gave up. With all his movements stopped he could actually feel Yamamoto shaking and soon he heard the sobs. It couldn't be considered anything other than strange, that big body of his shedding tears like this. As humans grew up, especially males, they tried to hide their tears from the rest of the world, at least that's how mafia men were. Yet seeing this made it really hit home for Gokudera that Yamamoto wasn't any older than, let's say Tsuna. So He had every right to cry like the child he was. Locked inside that body, that was too mature for it's actually age, was a kid.

The only reason behind Gokudera's next actions was logical. Arms wrapping around Yamamoto's back and pulling him closer the silver-haired boy told himself that it was all to stop his annoying crying. It wasn't to purposely comfort him. This just happened to be the easiest way to calm him down. "Why'd you do it?" The question had slipped passed his lips without him really noticing but after it was spoken he realized that's what he wanted to ask. In fact the question didn't even have his usual tone. The harsh or mocking one he used on him all the time, replaced by a curious one.

Yamamoto didn't want to tell Gokudera anything, not after he'd seen him like this. Still he felt telling someone could lighten the burden. He planned to make it short but in the end Gokudera nearly knew his whole life story, which hadn't been that bad until his dad died. The only other upsetting part was losing his mom. He learned from Gokudera at the end of it that, using his exact words, 'losing your mother really fucked you up.' Though, really he didn't understand that since it had been his dad's death that had been the last straw. No, that wasn't right; not being able to get revenge was what had done it.

Yet Yamamoto understood it a little more when Gokudera informed him that after his mom went to heaven, he never got a real social life. An expression he hadn't heard before. The one thing he got from all that was that he'd been nothing but a fake most of his life.

It was through this long talk of theirs, filled with crying, that Yamamoto figured out two things. Gokudera could be considered a tsundere and that life, no matter how hard, was worth living. Everybody needed something to keep them anchored in life, whether it be a person, a job, or something else didn't matter. An anchor is what kept people from taking the jump his neighbor took. Gokudera, at this moment was what kept him here. His anchor, since h forced Yamamoto to realize that people around him did care if he died. That's all he needed to know.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Giotto and his guardians, except Asari, finished their face off with Tsuna's mother. She'd agreed in the end, after a lot of arguing, that the brunette would decide where he belonged. Although it was only the middle of the day and he was young, Giotto felt exhausted once the woman left. Standing up from his chair the blonde man said, "I think I'll take a nap in my office." Loosening the tie around his neck, he walked towards said office he called back to them, "Help Asari find Yamamoto." That being his final word he went sluggishly towards his office.<p>

When he reached the room Giotto plopped down into his chair. Leaving this problem up to Tsuna had been a big decision on his part, one he didn't feel confident about. The only thing that could possibly keep him here would be Hibari. They were so attached to one another that Tsuna could never leave him behind, but it wasn't like he'd lock the violent boy in the house to keep them away from each other. Even if Tsuna left they could hang out together, just a little less than usual.

As he thought about all the pros and cons about Tsuna picking where he wanted to be he heard the door open. Well, he didn't really hear it, he felt the movement of it cut through the air. Ignoring it, since he already knew who it was he kept his eyes closed, thinking hard. Cool fingertips touched his temples lightly as warm breath caressed his cheek. Nearly moaning at the touch Giotto put his own hand over Alaude's to drag it onto his forehead. "Portable ice."

The cloud guardian didn't move his hand, letting the sky enjoy the coldness that he could offer. "I'm better since I'll never melt." His other arm had snaked around Giotto's abdomen, holding him as best he could while he sat on the chair. He felt the rumble of an unheard laugh but after that there was only stillness. In that position he waited for his lover to break the silence that rarely ever encased the mansion since the children came.

"…Do you think I made the right choice?"

It was quiet for a moment and then Alaude removed his hands and spoke, a sharp edge in his voice, "You are behaving like a female. Firmly hold to your beliefs like usual."

After hearing this Giotto felt a tiny flame of anger flare in his chest. Yes, he was a mafia boss but sometimes, just like everyone else, he wanted to be pampered, to be told that everything would be ok when he needed it the most. Right then and there he realized Alaude could never give him that. What had he been doing with this man for the last three years?

Once he gave it some thought only one thing came to mind, sex, sex, sex, and some more sex. In all their time together they'd gone one date. ONE! The only time he could remember when Alaude was gentle was after they did it. Yet, in all that time they never slept together in the same bed. If he happened to fall asleep in the cloud guardian's bed the man always carried him back to his own room.

He used to think this was all so the other guardians wouldn't find out but even after they had the two stayed the way they always were. Never changing, not moving forward. Turning his golden gaze onto the other man Giotto waited for Alaude to say something else. When he didn't, slowly Vongola Primo stood up, steeping away from his chair. "Tsuna deserved to be able to choose. In the end it's what he wants that matters."

Alaude knew Giotto was boiling with anger by the way he stared at him, but he couldn't understand why. It was possible that him removing his hand from the blonde's forehead made him mad but truthfully it didn't seem like that was the problem, usually that would only make him pout. The other man opened his mouth to say something and Alaude had the sudden urge to stop him from speaking. The expression on his face showed that any words spoken now weren't going to be good.

So the cloud guardian did the first thing that came to mind to stop him from saying words that would never be able to be taken back. Grabbing hold of Giotto, Alaude pulled him into a kiss. It lasted for a minute or two before he began to struggle against him. Primo ran his hand up his guardian's spine slowly until he reached the back of his head. Where he took hold of a fistful of blonde hair and yanked Alaude's head away.

Giotto tried to free himself the rest of the way but the cloud used the advantage of having a bigger body against him. Wresting the shorter blonde to the floor, he pinned his arms above his head. Giotto tried to dislodge him, but gave up soon realizing it was useless. So they stayed like that, Alaude straddling him with his hands firmly pinned to the ground.

Giotto stared up at the older man not letting him take complete control by looking away. If he did, that would be like giving up, something neither of them were good at. They were at a stalemate and they knew it. Two stubborn men really shouldn't be together. It took forever to end their rights, since both never wanted to apologize first.

Six out of ten times Alaude won. It would have been only five if Giotto wasn't so sentimental. He gave up a few times to things could just go back to normal. It was lonely not being able to spend time together when they were in the middle of a lovers quarrel. Though this fight wasn't something that simple, this one questioned if their feelings were mutual and not just lust. Giotto wouldn't be giving in anytime soon.

Seeing this for what it was, a serious fight, Alaude decided he would be gentle, to not make it worse than it already was. He used a quiet soft voice, trying to get through to his lover, to dig deep and find out what was wrong. "Is this about Tsuna?" Stubbornly, Giotto refused to answer him. Searching those golden orbs that stared into his own blue ones he couldn't find the answer to his question. The young man had quite a stone-face; he needed one in his line of work. "Scared he'll choose to leave?"

Giotto hated the way Alaude brought up Tsuna when he was already upset enough figuring out there was no love present in their relationship. With these overwhelmingly upsetting thoughts he exploded in a very uncharacteristic way for him. Normally he got all quite, he didn't yell when he was really upset, but now he did. "Yes, Tsuna is going to leave the Mansion! There is no reason for him to stay her anymore!"

Tears pooled in the blonde's eyes but they didn't fall. Giotto knew the pain and loneliness of being abandoned, this happened many times before. So why did it hurt so much now? Could it be because he was losing Alaude and Tsuna at the same time? Probably. Yet there was no way he was going to be the one left behind. He'd pretend; pretend he had planned to leave first.

"It doesn't matter though, since he couldn't have stayed here forever anyway! This life isn't fit for a child like him, not for any child." As he spoke Giotto realized that what he said was true. Having kids here didn't seem right. It was far too dangerous. "Tsuna should leave before it's too late. Go with his mother now while he still can. If an enemy saw hi-"

Suddenly Alaude lowered his head, pressing their lips together in a rough kiss. Giotto knew the cloud guardian only did it to shut him up but it stunned him. Several emotions swirled around in him, so many that he didn't know what he actually felt. Pleasure came first, but got pushed aside by anger. How could he do this to him when the blonde didn't love him?! He couldn't say anything, his mouth hanging open. The surprise shouldn't have been this big because this was Alaude's usually method of keeping him quiet. Unlike usual, it hurt his heart.

The kiss didn't last too long, but for Giotto it seemed to last for hours. _This_, he promise himself, _will be our final kiss._ Once his mouth was away from his Alaude whispered into his ear one single word that cooled any passion he still felt for the man. "Fool." With that the cloud got up and drifted out of the room. Filled with misplaced grief Giotto hadn't noticed how Alaude walked out in such an abnormal haste. If looked upon right it seemed like he was chasing someone, perhaps a small child that had heard far too much to be okay.

* * *

><p><strong>I know, Giotto is behaving a little melodramatic, but it's the stress getting to him, I swear! This took a long time to get out because of writers block. It was supposed to be longer but then it would have taken another week or so and I wanted to get it out now, since it has already been a long wait. Sorry! Sadly, because of me cutting the chapter in half Tsuna wasn't able to appear. I'll have him be the first one up in the next chapter. The special chapter I was thinking about doing will come later, I want to get a few more in before it comes into existence.<strong>


	14. The Nightmare

**Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman Reborn and its characters do not belong to me, they belong to Amano Akira**

**-Chapter Fourteen-**

**The Nightmare **

Tsuna's eyelids fluttered open, waking up from what he hoped was a nightmare. Just a dream gone bad, but as his sleepy haze began to fade Hibari's face came into focus. Fear consumed him and the only thing that reassured him that he hadn't seen anything that the events running through his mind could be classified as facts. He shifted, turning onto his side to get a better view of his…friend. As he did a pain that could rival the other child pushing inside him, it was obvious now that it had not been a nightmare, shot up his spine.

Almost letting out a cry of pain Tsuna covered his mouth swiftly. Hibari would definitely wake up if he made a loud noise. The black-haired boy may be used to him but even he couldn't pull of anything too loud. With his hand over his mouth like that, the child could tell that his lips were slightly swollen from all the kisses he received. His stomach twisted in a knot and he felt like he was going to be sick.

Nauseated, the brunette stared into the face of Hibari, wondering what he'd done to him a few hours before. It hurt so bad, he never felt anything that painful before. Except the burn his father gave him. The burn on his arm had been done out of anger though, so what was this other painful experience punishment for? Accepting Mukuro's gift seemed to be the reason, so Hibari, like his father, had an explanation for why he did what he did.

It slowly became clear to Tsuna, as he laid there observing Hibari's sleeping face, that what the other boy did to him was a form of punishment. He'd misbehaved somehow and got what he deserved. Just like his father Hibari was trying to help him become a better person. Now that he thought about it the two had a lot in common with one another.

Once the brunette drank he got violent and hurt his mother. The difference between him and Hibari happened to be that the child didn't need to drink to get violent, that's just how he was to other people. Other people…before this, Tsuna had been the one person the black-haired boy didn't lay a finger one. He treated him so good.

That's why this didn't make any sense to him. The one person he'd trusted to never hurt him, hurt him in such a way that it felt like the pain wouldn't ever go away. A sudden memory blossomed to life and had him slipping out of bed slowly, careful not to disturb Hibari. Getting dressed quietly he held back the sobs that wanted to tear out of him every time he moved. Although it was getting better it still hurt.

Once Tsuna was fully clothed he went to the door and opened it as silently as he could manage. The adults asked about what his father had done to him, so shouldn't they want to know the same about Hibari? If he told them maybe he could understand what had been done to him. Why the other child didn't want to be his friend anymore, if he ever did. Giotto would be the best person to ask because even though Asari seemed nice, he still worried about the time he'd slapped him. They never bonded since Tsuna was too afraid to approach him again.

The first place he decided to look for the blonde was his office, Giotto spent countless hours there playing in a pile of 'paperwork,' A word which he didn't understand because they tacked the 'work' onto it the end of it. He'd caught seen the man play with the paperwork before. It was so unfair that kids couldn't run with scissors but adults could dash around cutting papers that hung from the ceiling with them. Either way, this should be where he is. G might even be there making sure he did his work, but lately he checks on him less. Everyone kept saying that in the past year or so Giotto started to become more responsible, they said it's because he is finally twenty.

As Tsuna got closer to where he thought Giotto might be he heard the sound of running. The noise had him scurrying off to hide behind the large plant a couple feet ahead of him. The instinct to scream and hide at loud sounds stayed with him all this time, but to a lesser degree. Crouching behind the plant he watched Knuckle and the others run passed him. Lampo was the last to go by because he'd decided to walk instead of run. Everyone was there except for Giotto, Asari and Alaude. After they were all gone he poked his head out, looking at where they disappeared around the corner. He wondered where they were running off to but couldn't be too concerned about it. The boy had problems of his own to deal with.

Dismissing them, Tsuna moved on towards Giotto's office again. He was a few feet from the door when the shouting started. The noise wasn't even what bothered him most; it was the words that scared him to his very core. "Yes, Tsuna is going to leave the mansion! There is no reason for him to stay here anymore!" The brunette flinched backing up a step. He should have rushed off so he wouldn't have to hear anymore, but stupidly he just stood there.

"It doesn't matter though, since he couldn't have stayed here forever anyway. This life isn't fit for a child like him, not for any child." Tsuna tuned out then shaking his head to try to get the words out, but he couldn't forget what he already heard. Giotto didn't want him here, maybe he never did. '_A child like him…a child like him.' _What was so wrong with him that nobody wanted him? Yeah, he was clumsy, dumb, and an all-round no-good but he tried his best. Then something that hadn't happened in years, until Hibari did that to him, took place. The slimy voice, that was all too familiar, slithered into his head.

You aren't as good as everyone else, so why should you be treated as their equal? No one could ever like someone as no-good as you. The voice tried to go on but the brunette's ears perked up at something Giotto was saying. "…Go with his mother while he still can. If an enemy saw hi-"

It didn't matter what else the blonde man would have said, what Tsuna heard was enough. He'd thought he was safe in this mansion, that the people here would protect him, but he was wrong. Giotto wouldn't comfort him or tell him why Hibari did the things he did, he wouldn't save him from anything. It was the opposite! The person who took him in and treated him like a little brother was going to throw him away, back to his father. His mother must have gone back to him, so at least he would have her, but what if she left again?

Thousands of thoughts swirled in his head and he didn't know which to latch onto. He knew one thing though, he had to go back and see his old home again. It had been so long that he couldn't even remember what it looked like. He needed to look upon that wretched house and re-teach himself the rules, so not to get punished. The pain and suffering that happened to him locked in that place seemed like a distance nightmare to him, one he'd father forget. The only memory he could recall taking place there, was the burning of his arm.

The burn itself had long since healed; as good as it ever would that is. There was still a scar, smaller than the original burn but it stayed all the same, a constant reminder of the horror Tsuna survived. There were other marks on his body too. But they were much smaller. Looking at them didn't have an image of a snarling face flashing into his mind. He only knew what made the scars, not who and that was good enough for him. The brunette felt if he remembered anything more than he already did h would go running back to his father. Actually, that didn't matter anymore since he was doing that anyway.

Tsuna backed away from the door slowly, disbelief still written plainly on his face. _It doesn't matter…it doesn't matter…I don't matter_. And with that thought he turned quickly, planning to sprint out of the house from the first exit he found. Too bad he crashed into Ryohei, who had also been staring at the door, but after being slammed into he turned, eyes locking with the other boy's. Without thinking his thoughts slipped onto of his mouth, "Home…have to get home."

It was only a few seconds since Giotto stopped talking and something inside Tsuna told him that he didn't have much time. So, he shoved Ryohei, who was still thinking about what he heard, out of the way. Even while being distracted the older boy didn't budge much, but that extra room was all the small child needed. Slipping through the space, he started for the nearest exit again, and this time he made it.

It had been two long years ago that Tsuna made this journey on this very day, except now he was walking into danger, not trying to get away from it. The weather was much the same as on that day. Snow was falling towards the ground at a slow pace, even though it seemed to pile on the other flakes at a fast rate. That didn't bode well for him since he wasn't quite dressed right for the cold; he needed to find a warm place soon. Except when he happened upon the mansion in the past, he'd been led to it by a voice. His memory hadn't stored which turns to take and when to go straight, so he based this trip on instinct. Maybe somewhere in the recesses of his mind the directions were there and that's why as he ran, not thinking, the path opened up for him.

As the boy hurried off the pure white snow became dirtier the farther he went. A distinct difference from when he ran away from home the first time. Filthy snow got cleaner as he went, now the opposite was true. Yet, as the streets became muddier he felt himself relax. It'd been awhile, but these dirty roads were what were familiar to him as a babe. Yes, it was more dangerous but not uncomfortable. He didn't have to worry about how he behaved here since no one cared enough to hit him. No wonder Giotto never smacked him around, he didn't have enough affection for the brunette to do so.

Tsuna's father cared and so did Hibari. With this new knowledge he planned to go back to his father, because the black-haired boy's affection was more painful. He might not even care and hurting him like that was just to cause him pain. That had to be why he'd done that instead of hitting him like his father did. In the mansion no one loved him. Even the people he thought cared really didn't.

The eight year old looked up from his musing right in time to avoid running into a tree, one he vaguely recognized. The very one he'd been pinned up against as other children tried to suffocate him. Later that day he received the burn his arm still bore. Silently, Tsuna pressed his hand to the tree, trying to remember other things that took place before he ran away. Maybe recalling these memories would help him survive in that house again.

Yet nothing came to mind and he lowered his hand. Turning slightly he could barely see his father's house. This tree just reached the limit of how close he could be to the house when playing. A rule he never seemed to forget, even while at the mansion. Lampo commented on it once when he had to bring him in from outside. The green haired teenager still complained about how he was much too far away from the house. How he probably did it on purpose to make him walk farther, when in truth it was just a habit that had taken forever to break.

Snow crunched beneath the brunette's feet once he started walking towards the house. Each step echoed in his ears as he realized he was really going to do this. He had no idea how his father would take this. Yet the once image he wanted to see so badly could surely never come to be. As his small hand closed around the door handle he closed his eyes and saw it. His father slowly turning to see who it was and noticing exactly who it was, the man smiled.

The sound of the door clicking open brought Tsuna back to reality and he came to terms with the fact that his father would hit him. But that was love, wasn't it? With a push the door swung open, the moment being very anti-climactic since his dad wasn't standing there waiting for him. No, he couldn't be welcomed or hit, the inside of the house being as eerily quiet as it was. Nobody seemed to be home and he felt sort of relieved at knowing this. He'd meet the man later though, and at the thought of that a shiver went down his spine.

Behind the boy the door closed and he whirled around half expecting the devil himself to be there, but there was no one. He stood there for a minute and then backed up into the living room area. Suddenly he tripped on something and fell backwards, head hitting the coffee table as he went down. "OUCHIE!" After his yell the house went back to being silent, well except for his whimpering.

Laying there Tsuna shifted to see what he tripped over and saw a beer can. In fact the floor was littered in them, no denying that his dad hadn't changed his ways. His head fell back down to the ground and he closed his eyes trying to take this all in. His brown eyes were only closed a second before they flashed open, not believing what he was seeing.

Taped up the coffee table were pictures, ones he couldn't remember being taken. That was expected though since he looked so young in them. There were even a couple where he was just a baby. Yet, if he saw these pictures anywhere but in this house he wouldn't have thought the people in them were his parents. They both looked…so happy. In one of the few where he was a baby his dad was holding him close smiling into the camera, his face filled with joy.

Tsuna's eye stopped at a picture with all of them in it, he looked about two or three. It caught his attention because he'd never see his whole family happy at the same time. If his dad was in a good mood in mother wasn't, and vice versa. Seeing that picture opened his mind and he started to recollect the little things. Sitting up he glanced around the living room, seeing everything he didn't bothering focus on before.

A tattered piece of paper hung on the wall, it had always been there but he'd never looked, like really _looked_, at it. Drawn on it was picture that held a poor resemblance of this house; three people were standing next to it holding hands. Written in an almost illegible scrawl were the words, 'HaPy BiTday DAdDY.' How young had he been when he wrote this? He didn't know but he had a vague memory of an older boy, not by much, trying to help him learn how to write. Seeing this he could tell that neither of them knew how to spell. The making of the card required a week and a half, so in the end his father got it late.

Amazing how these seemingly erased memories could surface at the most inconvenient times and it didn't stop at the paper. No, there were far more pleasant memories than he ever thought possible for their family. Standing up he backed up to a wall, staring at the room.

_Tsuna came running in from the hallway, wearing just a diaper and holding onto a belt. He kept glancing behind him as he ran and soon his dad hurried in after him. The little boy was giggling as he tried to get away; he was so focused on the man behind him he bumped into the couch. It startled him more than doing any damage and after the moment of surprise he climbed onto it. He was jumping about to get over the top of it and back onto the floor again when large hands grabbed him._

_The child squealed but didn't put up a struggle as his dad spun around and plopped onto the couch tickling him. "Heheh! Stop, Papa!" As requested the tickling stopped, or so Tsuna thought. He was attacked from behind by much smaller hands than the ones holding him. He tried to turn his head, but he was caught up in his laughter. "M-mama!"_

"_Hmm, now that we caught him what should we do, Honey?" The tickle assault finished and his mom sat down next to the man. "Tsunayoshi's a sneaky little thief." She poked the brunette's nose and he grabbed her hand._

_Grinning up at them Tsuna flashed the few teeth he had, "No, me cat you, Mama."_

_His dad threw his head back and laughed. After a few minutes he sobered up, looking over at his wife. "Sorry, we'll have to play later. I need to get to work." He reached over taking the belt of the kid's hand, but not before giving him a kiss on the cheek. Standing up he used the belt to secure his pants and leaned down to plant a kiss on Tsuna's mom's lips. "I might be back late. See ya later." He gave a parting tickle to the boy as he left the room waving._

Tsuna pressed a hand to his mouth, shocked by what he remembered. Slowly he walked out of the living room and into the kitchen, but this didn't help matters. It felt like a dam had burst in his mind.

_He was walking down towards the kitchen, coming from his room having just woken up. Expecting to see his mom there cooking breakfast it caught him by surprise to see his dad. "Papa?"_

_The man turned his head to look at him and smiled lightly, "I'm cooking today, ya ma's sick. Wanna help?" The brunette nodded enthusiastically and climbed onto a chair to be able to each the counter. His dad handed him a bowl of flour and told him to stir it. They were supposed to be making pancakes, but twenty minutes later when Tsuna's mom rushed into the kitchen a pancake had yet to be made._

_She'd woken to the smell of something burning and rushed to the kitchen to see what was going on. When she got there she froze in the doorway. Tsuna and her husband's backs were to her and they were working on something over the stove. "Should I flip it now?" The little boy nodded and his dad flipped whatever was in the pan. Broken eggs littered the floor and some oddly colored liquid dripped from the counter onto the ground._

"_What are you two up to?" Father and son spun around, totally in sync with one another. Their expressions were guilty, but that's not why she started laughing. Both of their faces were covered in flour and her husband had a little bit of egg on his cheek. "You work hard don't you?" She walked over and ran her finger down Tsuna's forehead, leaving a trail free of flour. "I'll cook; you boys just go sit down and try not to make any more messes." _

_The two males looked at each other and shook the heads, "We'll finish what we started. You just go sit down and relax." So after herding her to her room they started over, that much more determined to get it right._

_Forty minutes later they'd done it and rushed to her room to give her the pancakes. When they went in though, she was sleeping peacefully and not being able to disturb her, they left the meal by her bedside. The moment she woke up she was met with a flower and a card telling her how much they loved her._

By the end of the second memory Tsuna's head felt like it was splitting open and he started to stumble out of the house. Right as his hand touched the door knob that damn slimy voice creeped into his head again. _Don't go. You were happy here weren't you? Remember all the good things. _He shook his head violently not stopping until he was out the door and the voice was gone.

* * *

><p>Running footsteps went passed Hibari's room and his eyes opened. "Herbivores…" He sat up, already planning someone's demise and hoping it was Mukuro's. Before earlier he only had an intense dislike for the other boy, but after the pineapple tried to get close to Tsuna, well…put simply he hated him. Somehow, hating Mukuro felt so normal that it actually felt good to argue with him just for the heck of it. His face never failed to piss him off so he didn't even have to put effort into hating him. Usually he didn't bother with such an intense emotion because it was tiresome.<p>

Hibari glanced over at the covers beside him assuming Tsuna would be there, but he wasn't. Staring at the empty side of the bed he leaned against the headboard awaiting the herbivores return from wherever he went. It was nothing unusual, him waking up alone, the brunette sometimes left to go to the bathroom in the morning, a nap wasn't much different.

From the open window a yellow bird flew in and he put out his finger so it could land there. The bird landed as he thought it would and stared at him with his beady black eyes. With a quick inspection of the bed the bird chirped, "Hibari! Herbivore! Where?" Once Tsuna started hanging around him it didn't take long for the bird to get attached. He liked to lounge in the brunette's hair and take a nap; it was like a nest designed just for him.

Normally Hibari could tell the animal what it wanted to know, but he didn't know himself so he couldn't. He stayed on the bed planning with the blankets with a microscopic smile on his face. Finally he'd shown Tsuna how he felt! Now the herbivore would understand why he hadn't wanted him getting friendly with anyone else. Really, he didn't want to admit it but he was jealous over the boy. Hibari found him first so why should anyone be able to steal him? The brunette was _his_ and he'd never let someone else have him.

As he laid there he wondered how happy the other child was. After all, Tsuna came to him initially and Hibari just went along with it. He couldn't have ever guessed that being loved felt this pleasant. Closing his grey eyes he waited for the herbivore to come back and snuggle up to him. Except as time went on, there was nobody sliding into bed next to him.

The boy knew he had an impatient streak in him, but this had nothing to do with that. It wasn't just in his head that the herbivore was taking a long time, even the clock agreed. To keep Tsuna from coming back something bad must have happened to him. Shooting out of bed he got dressed in record time, the bird flying off in finger because of the commotion. It flew up close to the ceiling chirping its displeasure at being disturbed.

Though Hibari's next words shut the creature up right away, "I'm going to find the herbivore." With that he rushed out of the room, leaving behind the idea that running wasn't elegant enough for him. If Mukuro had gotten hold of Tsuna he'd kill the younger male the minute the herbivore's back was turned. Letting such an innocent see such a bloodbath would be cruel.

The skylark was running passed a room with its down open when he heard the other herbivores talking about Tsuna. "I swear I heard Tsuna say that he was extremely going home!" Coming to a stop he peeked into the room seeing Ryohei, Mukuro, and Chrome standing in the room conversing with one another.

Striding in he glared at the occupants and spoke in a haughty tone, "Where did the herbivore say he was going?"

Ryohei looked over at him and said in his usually loud voice, "He said he was heading home!" Hibari's heart seemed to drop into his stomach as it twisted horribly. He'd witnessed this scene happen over and over again to his mother, the morning after the men always left. Leaving him mom behind who would drink the rest of the day until another man came. Tsuna ran from his love, he didn't want it.

Clenching his hands Hibari vehemently denied to himself that he would end up like her. He wouldn't let Tsuna leave him all alone. Glaring at the herbivores in front of him, he took a step closer threateningly, "Do you know where his 'home' is?"

* * *

><p>The guardians were running around trying to find Yamamoto and had separated to do so. Lampo felt it didn't concern him and that the kid would crawl out of hiding soon with a big smile on his face like always. So, he decided they wouldn't need his help and started up the stairs to his tower, knowing they'd leave him alone if he went up there.<p>

Opening the door when he reached it, he lazily strolled in heading towards his bed. His footsteps became light as he approached it, seeing two children curled up and slumbering on it. Bending down, he gazed at their sleeping faces for a while and then sighed. Grabbing hold of a sheet that had fallen off the bed, he covered them up. Sitting down on the floor, instead of sitting in an open chair, he leaned his back against the bed. His body blocked the light coming from the window that had previously been shinning in Gokudera's face. Bringing a knee up to his chest he hugged it, putting his head on the limb he said something that barely came out as a whisper, "I hate brats."

* * *

><p>After running from the house Tsuna roamed the neighborhood. He saw younger kids running about playing tag and some of the older ones he used to know, hanging around with the same old crowd. Once he caught sight of Ralf and hid quickly, not wanting to chance it. The last time he's seen him and his group they had tried to kill him. Though nothing changed for the better, overall everyone appeared happy. He wondered if he could be happy to if he stayed here.<p>

The brunette shuddered; feeling like someone was watching him and decided to head back to house. Earlier he had run from the house in fear of all those memories but he knew he would have to go back. Giotto pretty much kicked him out and he didn't want to go back just to have it said to his face.

It was just getting dark out when he made it to the house and he felt perfectly frozen. Having been so panicked before, he hadn't even noticed how cold he actually was. Walking in he let the door swing shut behind him, well that's what should have happened at least. Yet the door didn't click right away and when it did a hand had already seized his arm. The touched felt familiar and made him want to shout out for help, but his mouth was covered by his attacker's free hand. He was dragged farther into the house for a bit until he was forced up against the back of the couch.

Suddenly, Tsuna was swung around to face the assailant and he took in the others features even though there was no need. He'd already known just who it was and could only wonder in how he found him. "Herbivore, just who do you think you are trying to get away from? It will never work; I'll find you wherever you go."

The younger boy stared up at Hibari in wide-eyed fear. He'd never used that tone with him, even when he hurt him after the party. Truthfully, he never understood why people were frightened by it, but it scared him severely now that it was used on him. The hand over his mouth moved and he took a much needed deep breath, never removing his eyes from those fascinating grey ones. Not even once have those eyes of his been so cold before.

Hibari couldn't help but gazed into the brown eyes of Tsuna. They always made him feel better previously. Yet, right now those chocolate brown orbs of his did nothing but hurt his heart. He'd liked them so much because Tsuna never looked as him as if he was someone to fear. At this moment though, fear was all there was present in them and seeing that, something inside of him snapped.

Hands wrapped around the brunette's throat and he knew immediately what Hibari was about to do. He started to struggle but he wasn't even a match for the strength of the skylark. Those cold hands that he loved to have touch him were now cutting off his air supply and there was nothing he would do about it. The pressure could be described as scarcely there at first, but soon it seemed to be all he could feel. His hand reached up to claw at the hands squeezing his throat, except he ended up not being able to do it. This boy used to be his friend and he just couldn't hurt him. So he gently traced his knuckles trying to convince him not to hurt him anymore than he already was. "Ple-please, Hi-hibari…"

Without warning Tsuna was let go and not being able to stand, he fell down. Coughing harshly, he could barely hear Hibari words over it. "You're mine, never forget that." His vision blurred, but he nodded all the same. If he didn't agree he would probably be beaten. Laying there on the floor all his senses became detached from his body. He could still hear and see but it felt like it all came from a distance, like he was observing this all from a tunnel. That's why it was that much more of a surprise when he saw his father walk into the room. He heard his drunken voice shout something right before he blacked out, hoping this was all just a nightmare.

**Happy Birthday, Tsuna! Sorry that you couldn't have had a happier day.**

**To answer a question here are everyone's ages:**

**Giotto, G, and Asari - 20**

**Daemon, Knuckle – 22**

**Alaude – 23**

**Lampo – 17**

**Tsuna, Gokudera, and Yamamoto – 8**

**Mukuro – 9**

**Chrome – 7**

**Ryohei, Hibari – 10**


	15. Unseen Affection

**Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman Reborn and its characters do not belong to me, they belong to Amano Akira**

**-Chapter Fifteen-**

**Unseen Affection**

Lying on the floor with an arm flung over his eyes, Giotto refused to move. He knew he should chase Alaude, his hyper intuition nagged him to do so, but he didn't. This was the first time he ever willing disobeyed his intuition. Normally, if he felt even a slight prick from it he went along with it. After all every little decision he made put his guardians' and his life on the line. The mafia world was cruel, one wrong step and they were all dead.

Knowing this the blonde still ignored his hyper intuition, which by this time was stabbing him from all sides, and stayed put. For once he just wanted to toss everything in the air and give up, wished that he could, even just for a moment, stop being Giotto, Vongola boss, and be plain old Giotto. But after three years in this world the name had the title attached. The two were inseparable. Talk about bringing your work home with you!

A mafia don couldn't have the luxury of relaxing when their whole life revolved around destruction. He needed to uphold the image of a boss when there were guests in the house, that's why he couldn't chase his lover, not when Mrs. Rossi was here. That reminded him that he still had to find Tsuna and Yamamoto. The latter probably traumatized at learning they were part of the Mafia, a big part. Now that he actually thought about it, if Yamamoto was running around telling all the other kids, trouble could be brewing. He couldn't let Mukuro have more reason to stage another revolt.

Giotto worked up enough worry over the matter that he was about to get up and find the boy. Though before he could move, a whole lot of water was dumped on him, ice cold at that.

"Woah!" Vongola Primo shot up like a rocket, teeth already chattering. Turning quickly to give whoever had done it a nice talking to, he found himself looking at a thin, youngish woman who he thought was about ten years older than him if he recalled correctly. She stared up at him and he wondered once again just how someone shorter than him could intimidate him without even saying one word. "Bertha…" His tone was exasperated, but before he got the chance to say anymore she cut right in.

"Now don't you 'Bertha' me. You know very well that you deserved that. In fact if I had a bigger pail there would have been more." The maid tapped her foot, impatiently staring down at him while he looked up at her. After a bit she finally registered in his mind and he took in her appearance, which was pretty much the same as he remembered, just a few gray hairs that hadn't been there in earlier years. Since he became a mafia don Bertha had been nothing but a backdrop and it felt weird to realize that this was the first time in a long time that he'd cared enough to really look at her.

How he could have forgotten about her was a mystery to Giotto because she meddled in his affairs often enough, at least the ones that involved the children. Truthfully, he couldn't be more ashamed of himself, forgetting about her like that. Bertha was like the mother he'd never had. Her taking him under her wing happened to be the best thing ever to occur in his life. This woman had given him stability. No matter how small it had been, it was enough to keep him on the straight and narrow. Without that first foot on the ground, which she'd given him, he couldn't have planted the other.

"I know you're feeling abandoned again, but that's your silly imagination pulling tricks on you." Bertha grabbed his hand, jerking him to his feet, her small frame belying her strength. "Have you heard that boy say, even once, that he wanted to leave? Don't assume the worst! Go out and help Mr. Alaude find Tsuna." She handed him a towel to dry himself off with and he did so right away. "Quick, before it's too late."

Giotto didn't know what to say to her, but he knew Bertha was right. He needed to talk to Tsuna befo-

…Had she just said what he thought she said? "Help Alaude?" If he didn't know any better he'd think she was suggestion that Tsuna heard the conversation he had with his cloud guardian. That actually made since when he thought about it, Alaude running off in such a hurry that is. There was no way the cloud heard Tsuna and he didn't though, right? In the mindset he was in it could very well be true.

There was a knock on his door and whoever it was didn't wait for him to say 'come in'. Tsuna's mother walked in like she owned the place, but Giotto saw her glance nervously around the room before her face became expressionless again. "Why did I just see my son leave the house? Your guardian of cloud left also." The blonde man turned his eyes to Bertha, who very pointedly gave him an 'I told you so' look only a woman could pull off. Well, along with Alaude also.

Without warning, Giotto gave Mrs. Rossi a gentle push, making her land in one of the over-sized chairs in front of his desk. "Stay here with my maid; I'll go fetch your son." Taking one of his jackets of the coat hanger he set the towel aside. As he put it on he opened the door, hoping not to waste any time. Just before he left though, he turned his head to gaze at Tsuna's mom. "Don't worry Ma'am; I'll get him back safely." With that he rushed out the door, but not before he caught a glimpse of her shoulders shagging in relief. The words settled her down and shut up his hyper intuition so it was a pretty fair trade.

* * *

><p>Hibari, having just let the brunette herbivore go, watched him slump to the floor trying to make sense of his actions as he did so. While he was searching for Tsuna he had no plans to hurt him, just drag him back kicking and screaming if need be. This…this shouldn't have happened, but his hands acted on their own again. Seeing the other boy walk into this house enraged him somehow. If the herbivore had people here then why was he even at the mansion where they took in strays? What possible reason could there be to have him get attached and then walk away like he was nothing?<p>

In Tsuna's eyes Hibari must be nothing but a toy he played with and had gotten bored of. Knowing this hurt more than he thought it would. So, he just couldn't control himself when he'd seen him come in here. He wanted to hear Tsuna say he wouldn't leave him alone again and the easiest way to make him stay was to own him. To have the child admit he was Hibari's.

Yet, seeing Tsuna slide to the floor like that, after forcing the statement out of him, didn't give him a pleasant feeling. Starting to kneel down the skylark stopped halfway. The door to the house had opened and closed, letting in someone who stomped their way to the living room. Fixated on the other child he decided to ignore the disturbance, at least until he saw Tsuna mouth the word 'Pa.' He swung around wondering if he should show some kind of respect to the man, but by doing so he barely missed getting a face full of fist. The herbivore had tried to attack him.

"What are ya trying da do to my son?!" Hibari felt a twinge of admiration for the man, who seemed to be protecting his son. The next words though, crushed that tiny respect into dust. "He's mine!" That happened to be something he disagreed with, having just claimed the boy himself. It wasn't only the words that pissed him off, it was the way he's said them. It hadn't been a fatherly 'he's mine', but more of a 'he's mine' that screamed with sinister intent. Whatever he meant by that it didn't sit well with him.

Hibari decided to show this fact by bringing out his ever present tonfas. Another fist came flying at him and he caught sight of the tattoo down the man's arm. Seeing this made him recall G's tattoo and Tsuna's always hysterical reaction to it. No matter if it was just a glimpse or a full on look at it, the child freaked out. That kind of fear didn't spring from nothing and he figured the boy must have been hurt by someone with one. He hadn't thought once that the brunette's own father would be the person who'd harmed him. Although, it was just an assumption he wasn't usually wrong.

Knowing this herbivore made Tsuna suffer egged Hibari on. Dodging the punch, he ducked under it, and appearing behind the man he kicked him just enough to have him wobble. While catching his balance the adult's head lowered and Hibari aimed his tonfa for it. After being hit and having already been drunk the man fell easily, bumping his head against the wooden floor. He managed to hit it hard enough that his head bled a little.

Putting all his focus back on Tsuna the black-haired kid rubbed his hand gently across the other's cheek, wiping a stray tear away. Once again before he could do anything more the door opened this time being closed noiselessly. Getting interrupted was starting to irritate him. He stood up thinking it might be the woman herbivore that'd given birth to this beautiful creature before him, a herbivore he needed to bite to death for letting her son get abused. You never know, maybe she even had a hand in it. Woman couldn't be trusted.

Seeing who it really was surprised the skylark enough that for a second his eyes widened to the size of saucers, the way Tsuna's normally were. Giotto was looking into the room, eyes going from Tsuna, to Hibari and then finally to the unconscious herbivore on the floor. His mouth opened and closed trying to expression something, but no knowing what to say. In the end in didn't need to say anything, Alaude, who came in after him, spoke for him. As surprising as the action was his words weren't, "Move, so I can arrest that filthy thing."

Giotto did as he was told and shifted a little, leaving enough room for the cloud to glide passed. Analyzing the scene he took notice of the unconscious man's proximity to Tsuna and the developing bruises on the boy's neck. Hibari stood close by with his tonfas out and when he put all these things together it seemed perfectly obvious to him what had happened. Tsuna came back here after hearing what Giotto said and was then attacked by his father for who knows what. The other child must have somehow followed him here, though even Alaude hadn't succeeded in tracking the brunette, and seen what was happening. Reacting accordingly he tonfa whacked him which, considering who he was wasn't that shocking, especially if he'd tried to harm Tsuna. After all, the boy was fiercely protective of the other child.

Standing over Mr. Rossi's body was Alaude with his little black book. The black notebook contained all the local criminals' names and their offenses. Fingers flicking through the pages quickly he made it into the R section. It didn't take long to pinpoint the man's name. "Duilio Rossi, only minor crimes, none violent. Guess he was saving that for his family." Then the blonde man glanced over at his boss, giving him _the look_.

Nodding, Giotto walked over and put his arms around Tsuna lifting him off the floor, arranging the boy so he could carry him easily. "Follow me, Hibari." Remarkably, the child actually listened to him and tramped along beside him. Leaving that house with two kids in tow, he wondered if he should really leave Duilio Rossi in his cloud guardian's hands. The outcome was certain, but he felt like the man deserved at least this much having done such horrible things to a child. When the screaming started he found that thinking about the scars he'd seen on Tsuna helped him not even have the slightest anxiety.

* * *

><p>Lampo just started nodding off, the sun having finally moved out of his eyes, when he heard the footsteps. Everything instinct he had told him to get the fuck out of there, but he stayed put. He already knew who it was and running wouldn't help this situation at all. If he didn't leave maybe he could convince them to go easy on him, since if they didn't his cries of pain might wake the brats.<p>

Standing up right as the door handle wiggled Lampo turned to watch as it opened. G's voice reached his eyes before the thing even moved an inch though, "…don't think he'll be in here." The teen had to agree with him to, if he hadn't found them here he wouldn't have thought of it as a possibility. No one liked coming up here besides himself.

Asari, however, seemed smarter than them both for figuring their hiding spot out as he realized from what he heard next. "Haha, well I felt like we needed to check." Then the door was opened completely, letting them see into the tower room. The first thing G took notice of was Lampo standing in the middle of it. Yet, before he could yell at him for skipping out on looking for the brats he spotted them. They were still sleeping peacefully, the sheet now covering them haphazardly, nearly falling off the bed again.

"Shit, the idiot was right." The red-head veered his gaze from the children to Lampo and boy did he start to look pissed off. "For the last – what, two hours? – we have searched this whole fucking mansion, only to find out that you could have stopped this wild goose chase by coming down and telling us you found him." Approaching fast, G stalked his prey up to the wall and stared down at him. The arm came around quick and Lampo barely had time to duck so it would miss him. Instead of smacking into the green-haired childish bastard's face, like G was aiming for, he ended up hitting the wall, hurting his hand in the process.

Quieting his cry so not to wake the kids he glared silent at the teenager. Asari came over, slinging his arm over G's shoulders, "This is what happens when you use your strength for evil, G." Not even two seconds after he'd said that he felt an elbow jab into his stomach, courtesy of the storm guardian. "H-haha, that s-seriously hurt you know." Giving him one last glare, the riled up guardian stomped on his foot and abruptly turned on his heel, walking away. With, might he say a very the-cat-who-caught the canary expression on his face. Yeah, that must have felt very good for him.

Yamamoto and Gokudera, who were lost in the land of dreams, woke up in the next moment. This was surely one wake up they'd never forget, it rattled them so. What disturbed these two? A spine-chilling scream resounded through the house, reaching even this tall, tall tower.

The minute he became aware again, Yamamoto had felt a dark cloud sweep over them, a very foreboding one. The feeling that flared inside of him spurred from the scream, one by now he was sure came from a small brunette. A scream like this could usually only emerge from the throat of a dying creature. The sound forced everyone within the room to dash towards the door, Gokudera, being the most worried about Tsuna was the first one out the door. The black-haired boy didn't even know if the other knew actually what he heard and why he was responding like so. That's just how fast he moved.

* * *

><p><em>He was trapped, weighed down by something and the only emotion he could feel was regret. Regret for not being able to be certain that he saved them. He pondered on who 'them' were, but nothing came to mind. Remorse of leaving someone he loved so much behind, knowing they might commit an act that couldn't be reversed. For not protecting his famiglia like he promised himself he would.<em>

_The sentiments here weren't pleasurable, but seeing what came next, he wished he could go back to that clueless state he'd been in previously. From the darkness that encased him, a light shimmered for an instant. Then it grew bigger, showing him what was in this place with him. The first shadow he could make out was his father and on realizing this he suddenly appeared right in front of him, staring into his soul. It didn't just unnerve him, no, it down right frightened him. He felt like he was exposed, vulnerable, and he didn't like that, not at all._

_He didn't even have time to flinch from the sudden closeness though, because the thing started to shriek in his face. Revealing a set of razor sharp teeth, dagger like incisors he knew his father didn't usually possess, while slimy saliva dripped down his chin. The noise it was making hurt his ears, drilling into his head like a jackhammer. A fire appeared beside him and the thing, he refused to think of it as his father by now, grabbed his arm and shoved it in the flame. Burning him much like his real father had, just this time it didn't end with his arm._

_The creature suddenly had him by his head, pushing his face towards the flickering flame. Starting to scream himself, he nearly out shouted the beast. His nose was just starting to burn when he looked up at his attacker and gasped. The thing wasn't pushing him into the fire anymore; it was his father, not a look-a-like_. "_Ya wanted to be warm didn't cha?" It was that awful voice again, scaring him silly. Closing his eyes he wished that his dad would disappear from his sight completely and when he opened them he got his wish._

_Instead of his father, Hibari was hovering over him. The fire, now gone, didn't pose a threat and he thought the other boy didn't either. Of course he was still scared, who wouldn't be when someone who'd tried to kill them was staring down at them with a not so pleasant look on their face. Still, it was better than having his face burned off. His relief was short lived though._

_Hibari leaned forward grabbing him by his shirt and with one tug the fabric ripped easily. He was pushed to the ground, screaming all the way, and his pants were taken next. Soon the only thing that covered him was his boxer shorts. Seeing himself wearing that triggered something inside him and he had a vision. _He was running a bright flame attached to his forehead, with one goal in mind. He must confess to her now using his dying will! _The image faded quickly and he was back, his last line of protection being ripped off._

_At that moment he realized Hibari didn't have anything on either. In seconds the other child thrust into him and he felt like he was being split into two. With a bloodcurdling scream he called out for help, but no one came. It wasn't like anyone even cared, right? The bigger body on top of him whispered into his ear, "You're mine." Now it wasn't that voice that used his father's words, this was Hibari's voice and nothing could change that he'd said those words._

_Suddenly the pain was gone, Hibari disappeared and all the light went away with him. He thought it was over, but then he caught sight of an apparition glowing in the blackness. Soon there were many specters glowing, filling the area with light. He realized that they all resembled someone he knew. He didn't know what was going on until they all started to speak at once, the voice changing depending on who was really saying the words. But under all that he heard the tone of it and the similarities to the voice from earlier wasn't lost on him._

_"Shut up and go to your room you useless boy! This life isn't fit for a child like him. You're mine! All you are is useless, you know that, right? An idiot who needs punishment to learn properly." __Covering his ears he tried to block it out, but it didn't work. Nothing could block out the truth. The words started to blend together and he wasn't able to make out what they were saying. Only words like, useless, stupid, brainless, clumsy, and ugly made sense. He wanted it to stop so badly and he couldn't stop screaming. He knew he was trapped here forever, chained to this life._

_Thinking this he finally noticed that it was true. He was bound here, by shackles that were on his ankles. He began to think that he wasn't ever going to get out when he heard someone among all the voices that stood out. The tone didn't have any evil in it and it sounded like Giotto. "Come on, Tsuna! You have to wake up now. Wake up!" Once he focused on only that the weight burdening him lifted and the shackles fell off. With a sudden burst of strength he stood up and ran to the bright light that had appeared passed on the apparitions._

_They roared trying to scare him into staying, but none could touch him. Oh, they tried to yet nothing came out of it. The minute they got too close something seemed to shock them away from him. He easily made it to the light and the darkness slithered away, releasing him._

* * *

><p>Giotto sat down next to the sleeping Tsuna he'd set on the bed and thought about what he would say when the boy woke up. That he didn't mean what he said before? What if Tsuna decides to leave him then? He'd seem so pathetic being left alone again. Though, if he didn't say anything the kid would surely go with his mother. He still hadn't come up with a solution when the brunette twitched in his sleep and started to scream. Before he knew it the door to the hallway burst open and Mrs. Rossi rushed in with Hibari, Ryohei, Mukuro, and Chrome on her tail.<p>

The blonde boss put his arms around the brunette doing his best to soothe him, but he wouldn't stop struggling against the gentle hold. So he tried to wake him up to free him from his nightmare. "Come on, Tsuna! You have to wake up now. Wake up!" He yelled at him, but there was no sign of him waking up. "I didn't mean what I said! Get up so I can tell you that." After he said that he boy's back arched up and he opened his eyes gasping for breath.

Rocking the now awake child he his arms, Giotto spoke comforting words hoping to sweep all his fears away. More than ever he wanted Alaude to beat Duilio to a bloody pulp. It had been months since Tsuna had his last nightmare, but they began again as soon as he saw his father. He must have done something horrible to him again. The marks on his neck only proved what he'd thought.

After Tsuna calmed down for a few minutes, Mrs. Rossi stepped forward and before he could stop her, she asked the question that shouldn't be asked when a child was in this state. "Tsunayoshi, would you like to stay here or come with me? Your father won't bother us anymore." Giotto stared at her coldly, wondering how a mother could ask their child that when they needed to be held tightly and told everything would be ok. And just as he thought he would Tsuna flinched at the question, whimpering slightly.

The brunette shivered, but attempted to think about it. The choice might go away if he didn't answer the question now. His father not being near his mother and him was tempting. If he could have her without him it would be great, but he remembered something that prevented him from saying 'yes' without thinking. _It will never work; I'll find you wherever you go. _What would Hibari do to him if he tried to leave? He already chocked him, showing him he wasn't afraid to kill him, so if he left without plans to come back the boy might do something worse to him.

Tsuna didn't know what worse was but he didn't want to take any chances. So when he spotted Hibari by the door he lunged at him. The tonfa wielder didn't stop him and he wrapped himself around him snugly. "I won't leave. I can't leave Hibari!" He clung to him in desperation, showing that he wouldn't misbehave again. No one seemed to notice though that instead of saying he didn't want to leave, he'd said he can't. The wording didn't catch anyone's attention like he hoped it would. He hugged the skylark close, his terrified expression hidden.

Hibari felt a spark of happiness fill him at the brunette's words. _He doesn't want to leave me. It was all a misunderstanding. _He felt relieved knowing this; it wasn't like Tsuna didn't love him. Being hugged was new to him, but he put his arms around the herbivore all the same. Nuzzling the boy's neck he had a small smile on his face, happy Tsuna liked him so much.

Giotto glanced over at Tsuna's mother and saw her astonished expression. Maybe it was from seeing her son finally had a friend, maybe it was something else but she didn't seem displeased by the sight before her. Her gaze switched onto him and he grinned. She stared at him for a second then sighed, "Ok, I see he is happy here," she took a step closer to him sticking her finger into his chest, "but if I hear about him being hurt I'll have your head." She flicked her hair over her shoulder and marched out of the room tears in her eyes. He felt a flash of sympathy for her, she had to leave her kid after all, but it vanished quickly.

Looking down at all the children in the room, now all gathered around Tsuna, his smile couldn't help but get wider. This was home for them now, at least until another disgruntled parent came along to try to take their kid from them. The peaceful scene broke though, when Hayato rushed in waving dynamite around. "Are you hurt, Tenth?! I'll save you!" He threw the explosion towards the group of kids and it became just another normal day at the Vongola mansion.

* * *

><p>Later that night Giotto walked into his room, having had a rough day and just wanting to sleep. Two steps in he stopped in his tracks, seeing Alaude sitting on his bed. They stared at one another for a moment, neither looking away. The cloud was the first to move, standing up and walking over to him. He closed the door soundlessly behind him, leaning his body into his to do so. Even once the door was closed though he didn't move away. "Giotto…" He put his cold hands on either side of his face and kissed him.<p>

The Vongola boss didn't know how to react. He was still mad at the man, upset at realizing their loveless relationship. If he refused him now he could end it all and move on. Try to find a better man that he could have a meaningful relationship with. The idea didn't sit well with him though; he loved Alaude even if he didn't care for him. Losing Alaude wasn't an option in his mind so he kissed back, hands pulling on his shirt to free it from his pants. Slowly his hands went under it, up to his back where he scratched lightly.

Growling, Alaude grabbed his arms pushing them away and pulling him closer at the same time. Attacking his neck the cloud dragged him towards the bed until they fell on it together. Going in for another kiss he unbuttoned his boss's shirt, baring his chest, which he started to nip at. Moaning, Giotto threw his head back welcoming the ecstasy he knew was going to come from this deed.

A few hours later found Giotto staring up at the night sky, wind blowing his hair every which way it could. Earlier, when he'd found his cloud guardian wandering in the town trying to find Tsuna, they'd said they would talk about their fight later. The two had dismissed the matter and started asking around for the Rossi's house, but Giotto had only done that thinking they would talk about it later. Now, unlike planned, Alaude had already left, when he didn't know since he'd fallen asleep, leaving him to wake up to a lonely bed. Stars were twinkling in the sky and he shut his eyes, wishing on the first star he saw. _I know I'll sound like a girl, but please let me find love._

Vongola Primo did this, unknowingly that from another room in the mansion Tsuna was also looking up at the sky. Hibari lay in the bed, sleeping peacefully after a round of the painful act he'd done to him before. Their situations were alike yet truly different. One wanted to have their bed filled and the other wanted to be left alone completely. The brunette gazed up at the sky and asked a question he wouldn't get an answer to, at least not tonight. "What is love?" He whispered it so quietly that even the light sleeper close by didn't want up. Two hearts wanting the same thing, love, but neither knowing how to get it.

**The plot should start moving soon, so thanks for waiting.**


	16. Stranded?

**Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman Reborn and its characters do not belong to me, they belong to Amano Akira**

**-Chapter Sixteen-**

**Stranded?**

Tsuna clenched the bed sheets tighter in his tiny hands as Hibari plunged into him over and over again from behind him. His body, jerking forward from each of the other's thrusts, pushed his face up against the duvet. Moaning in pain with tears streaming down his cheeks he stared at the section of wall above the headboard.

Today the older boy decided to fuck him, that's what Hibari told him it was called after he asked, in an empty bedroom. This wasn't that unusually actually, but just a few feet away, across from this wall, were Knuckle, G, and Asari. Never had this been done to him when so many people were that close.

Sure, Hibari fucked him whenever he wanted, but he'd done it cautiously, not wanting to be interrupted. In this place though, at any moment someone could walk through that door and see them like this. Tsuna always wished for someone to find out, yet when it could happen he didn't want it to. The humiliation from being seen like this would be too much.

It was as the brunette stared at the wall, trying to be as quiet as possible, that Hibari's hand grasped his member and tugged. The action was pleasurable and took his mind off the pain for a moment as he released. The other child followed suit, he could tell from the sudden liquid being ejected into him. Panting, Hibari pulled out and rolled over, sprawling out on the bed.

Collapsing, Tsuna let the pleasant violated feeling consume him. He couldn't understand why this feeling felt so pleasant but it was, inexplicable so. The moments after the other boy fucked him were the best. For a few minutes it was like time rolled backwards and Hibari was his old Kyoya-nii again. Back to the times when kissing wasn't done so roughly and he never wanted to part with his friend.

Kyoya, once he caught his breath, gently moved Tsuna's body so it was pressed against his own while they faced each other. Gazing into those brown eyes, that seemed to melt into milky chocolate as he did, he brought his lips to his in a soft kiss. These were the types of kisses he loved, the ones that filled him with intense emotions that went beyond his years. During these times he saw flashes of a man with a blurry face, not quite fuzzy enough though for him not to notice his smile. Sometimes it wasn't a good smile, but one which ravaged his heart. Rare as it was there were moments where there wasn't a smile at all.

Unknown to him, Tsuna also had these visions. Just instead he saw a completely different man, one with a bigger physique than the man in Kyoya's flashes could ever have. He didn't smile a lot, or ever really look happy, but oh, when he did his heart did this little flippy thing and it felt _wonderful. _The frowns accomplished something similar at times, and he didn't know why. He couldn't interpret the look with it being so blurry, but somewhere deep inside he understood it. Though he didn't really know what it meant and he must sound crazy now, right?

To the brunette it didn't matter if he seemed crazy. This was how he felt, no matter how weird it was, and he couldn't change that. The man he saw even appeared in his dreams, if he wasn't having a nightmare, though he appeared there two or three times, always getting hurt and making his heart throb with pain. Those nightmares were worse than any other he had to date.

The kiss Tsuna shared with Kyoya, once ended, left him wanting more. Opening his eyes he stared into the older boy's grey orbs, wanting to sigh in contentment. This must be what love feels like. The though came involuntary and before he could rethink it his lips were on Kyoya's, searching for that comfort he so treasured.

Like several times before, an image burst into their minds, but it wasn't blurry like usual and it didn't show the men they were used to. This was a shared vision that had their eyes flashing open, wide as could be, but with a distant look in them. Almost as if they weren't there at all.

The room was magnificent, decorated in golden hues along with other colors. Standing in front of Hibari were several people, but the ones who stood out the most was a brunette who had his back to him and an old man with a mustache, in front of that man who seemed to be the average size of a teenager. In fact everyone in the room was focused on them. He didn't even want to blink with how important this moment seemed.

Tsuna stared at the frail man before him, whose eyes showed a fierceness that belied his appearance. The man opened his mouth to speak and the silence grew quieter, if that was possible. The people here were going to hang onto his every word, he could tell. "~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~," the words were unidentifiable, but he went on as if they were, "will you take the leadership of Vongola in your hands and become Vongola Decimo?" He had no idea what he was talking about, but he nodded, realizing as he did so that he couldn't control the body he was seeing this all from. He was in somebody else's body!

Their consciousness snapped back into them like a rubber band, leaving them, for an instant, feeling liked they'd been hit by a bullet train. The pain faded quickly though and looking at one another, lips now separated, neither knew what had happened. Both of them didn't even want to acknowledge that it occurred. Of course they didn't know they had shared the vision and wouldn't bring it up, fearing that the other would call them crazy.

Hibari got out of bed, found his pants and put them on, still shaken by the scene he witnessed. It hadn't felt like a dream, but it couldn't be anything but that, an image his imagination conjured. He didn't say a word as he dressed and Tsuna watched him silently, forgetting about what he'd seen in favor of the hurt this seemingly rejection caused. The skylark couldn't even stand being in the bed with him any longer. That was unusual since normally they'd fall asleep together. Yet, obviously they couldn't since it was the middle of the day. People might grow suspicious if the two just disappeared, though that wasn't uncommon for Hibari to do.

Tsuna, in recent weeks, didn't do that much. He'd been spending a lot of time with the other children, hiding from Hibari as extensively as he could without the other thinking too much of it. If he hung out with his new friends too long the black-haired boy would fuck him so hard that he couldn't always walk right the next day.

After a while with the other kids the brunette found out they were fun to be around, at least some of them. Yamamoto and Chrome were the most normal out of the bunch, well with an exception for Chrome's odd adoration of Mukuro. The boy with those mismatched eyes didn't really scare him, but made him bizarrely nervous, and the girl was around him most of the time so he didn't talk to her much. Because of this he could be seen with Yamamoto and Gokudera more often than not. He'd feel better about the whole thing though if he hadn't noticed how the raven-haired boy liked to stare at the bomber sometimes.

That was another thing worth stressing about. Gokudera had a fondness for explosions that none but G exhibited a mutual interest in. Even then the red head only found them entrancing to watch and could probably go years without finding the need to set one off. Unlike Gokudera who couldn't go a day without doing so. One of these days someone was going to get hurt and he was sure it would be himself. His clumsiness didn't help him stay safe around the explosive expert at all.

If Tsuna did end up hurt he was certain Gokudera would feel horrible about it. He'd rather cut off his own arm than injure the brunette. He wondered at how he hadn't noticed such devotion before Hibari committed that dreadful act. It was so pure and true that it was the only thing he could trust within these mansion walls. Although he had a vague recollection of Giotto saying that he didn't mean what he said, Tsuna couldn't shake the feeling he had hearing those words. He'd also been betrayed by Hibari, so besides Gokudera's blond devotion there was nothing to believe in here.

Lying on the bed, exposed as could be the brunette watched the other boy's back as he walked towards the door. But before he left, he glanced back at him, "Don't play with those herbivores today." The door opened and shut after that, leaving him with those orders. They weren't that rare, days where Hibari didn't want him around the others. He hadn't found a pattern in the order yet, coming to the conclusion that it was at random. It all depended on the boy's mood, the one he couldn't detect anymore. So he got dressed to, planning to spend the rest of his day at the tower.

* * *

><p>Giotto leaned over the document on his desk, the quill in his hand tapping against his lip lightly. It was a habit he couldn't' get rid of when he looked over an important paper. It was an alliance request, one from Cavallone, a famiglia he'd heard about, but had yet to meet the head of. He wouldn't agree to it until he met the man, since before the Vongola came along they were at the top. There might be bitter feelings there and he knew he shouldn't sign before he was certain there'd be no betrayal. After all even if Vongola was at the top it was still new and might not be able to stand an all-out war with another mafia famiglia.<p>

Setting down the quill Primo stretched his arms waiting for G, Asari and Knuckle to finish up their discussion of who would be sent to send the request for a meeting to Cavallone. It would be disrespectful not to have a guardian be the one to go for a famiglia that used to be the best. Last time he tried something like that he received a very mentally scarred messenger the next day. The only reason they didn't kill him was because Giotto was a 'newbie.' It was unpleasant remembering how he had to lower his head for a while in their presence.

Though, really did it take this long to pick a guardian? Alaude, Daemon, and Lampo were automatically out of the running for obvious reasons. Giotto pondered about why he decided to let them choose when he already came up with the answer quickly enough. Knuckle, who put God above all else, besides his friends that is, shouldn't go alone cause he wouldn't fight if he got attacked.

Asari seemed like a pretty good pick at first but he'd heard the Cavallone liked their music and would probably have a collection. The only thing he has seen his rain guardian get in a heated argument about was music. In every other area he was very open-minded, but if you didn't like classical then he believed you worthy of being crocodile bait. Too bad he didn't know what type of music the Cavallone liked.

G, who, put simply, wasn't on good terms with a few of Cavallone's subordinates. If he was spotted by them before the mafia don then he was pretty much a 'kill on sight' kind of target. The blonde didn't want his storm or sun guardians hurt for such a silly thing, so Asari was the best choice once you considered all these factors. It was just a plus that if Cavallone didn't like classical, the normally soft hearted guardian of rain would be willing to do some damage if attacked.

The door to Giotto's office opened and then Alaude walked in and threw a mission report onto his desk. Before he marched back out he said a name, "Asari." With just that he knew what he meant and was quite happy that his stubborn guardians choose right. That tiny trickle of happiness faded though when his lover gracefully slipped out of the room like he was but a fleeting shadow. One that even the Vongola boss couldn't quite stomp on hard enough to keep in place. He really suited the position of cloud guardian. A little too well in his opinion.

The two have yet to have their promised talk about the fight they had. Alaude seemed to be avoiding him like the plague. For only brief moments they saw each other, and this only happened because the coward had too much pride to have someone else hand in his mission reports. If the report wasn't urgent he would have come and dropped it off when he knew Giotto wasn't going to be here. He was being even worse than Lampo!

…Ok, maybe that's going a bit too far but still!

* * *

><p>Those invertebrates, that were his colleagues, could just go burn in hell for all Alaude cared. They forced him to relay a message that they could have easily done themselves. He knew they were being assholes, having him do that when they discerned he was avoiding Giotto. They might not know why, but it was infuriating that the invertebrates knew anything about what he was doing. Luckily, he had yet to run into Daemon, who surely would sprout nonsense about him being a coward, which would be a stupidly inaccurate comment.<p>

Alaude wasn't avoiding Giotto because he was a coward; it was to give himself time to think. He always thought he wouldn't end up in a serious relationship with a woman, they were a living, breathing personification of all the things he found most annoying. With these types of feelings he never expected to have any kind of connection like he had with the other blonde. Before he'd met Giotto he wasn't interested in men, so he assumed they would be no love in life for him.

The cloud guardian's avoidance of his lover could be summed up with two words, ignorance, and pride. He didn't know how relationships worked and was too prideful to show it. The motivation behind Giotto's actions excluded him and if he didn't know the reason for their fight he'd rather not talk about it. The younger blonde was searching for a solid relationship and he couldn't give him that if he had no idea how to have one.

If Giotto figured that out he could dump Alaude without hesitation. There would be no moving forward if he couldn't take a step alongside Giotto. If they couldn't have any progress then this was as for as they would go and his boss already seemed unsatisfied with him. Every minute he was alone with the other man was an opening for him to get discarded and he didn't want that to happen.

These thoughts pushed Alaude to find help in an unlikely source. A healthy relationship needed communication, G and Asari lasted because they were blunt in expressing what angered and concerned them. Well, at least each of them had one of these qualities. It would be better though if they both had the two. Still they were the only gay mafia couple that had lasted this long together, besides him and Giotto. So he found himself standing outside G's door ready to knock.

It'd be easier to talk to the rain guardian, but since he was leaving, the cloud was forced to come to the storm. Seeing Giotto's face today showed him that he couldn't put this off any longer and would just have to suck it up.

After knocking on the door he waited for the other man to open it. When he didn't he gave it another hard tap. This went on for a few minutes until he was preparing to kick the door down. He had his foot, raised in the air, positioned for kicking when he heard G speak. Instead of coming from behind the door though, it was from a little ways behind him. Whirling around, he stared at G for a moment, body tense.

The red hair was messed up as if a hand had run through it several times. His cheeks were flushed pink and his clothes were a bit askew. Someone just had a quickie and hadn't tried that hard to hide it. Probably thought no one would see him go back to his room.

Alaude couldn't really blame him for the indecency of it all either. He'd done the same thing hundreds of times before, just under the cover of night. Not always, he mused, sometimes he found Giotto before he went on a long or dangerous mission. You couldn't fool around with your good-byes in their line of work. Even if it didn't seem needed the farewells were a certain precaution that must be taken seriously.

Tuning back in the cloud guardian listened to G repeat his question that he hadn't caught earlier, "What are you doing here?" Glancing around the hallway he nodded towards the other's bedroom door to show that he didn't want to talk here. Anyone could be lurking here, eavesdropping, and he didn't want anyone to hear, especially Daemon. That melon had ears everywhere, just like he did.

G understood and opened the door to his room, letting him in. As the light-haired blonde went in he realized he'd never been in G's room before. The only bedrooms he has ever seen that weren't his were Giotto's and Lampo's tower. So he didn't know what to expect from the storm guardian's. Normally he would judge it by personality, but from what he has seen using character wasn't reliable.

Giotto had a deceivingly neat appearance, though in truth he was a dirty little packrat. He even had a few special rooms where he left junk he wanted, but wouldn't need in daily life. The maids were left to decide what he could keep in his bedroom, since if they didn't check it every day then junk from it would be protruding out into the hallway within three days. They had no idea how Primo got ahold of so much so fast, but once or twice the maids found things in there that had gone missing throughout the mansion, little things that no one really missed. The boss, like a bird, picked up random things that caught his attention, the items were, for the most part, shiny. It was actually quite amusing seeing the other blonde try to cling to his things as the maids took everything.

Lampo, surprisingly, was the opposite. He didn't let any maids enter his tower yet his room wasn't that bad. A little messy, but a teenager always was. Alaude's own room represented himself perfectly. It was organized with military precision, nothing out of place. There weren't even any pictures hanging on the walls or sitting on his dresser. The only clue of life within the room was if he was in there with his coat draped over the chair. His presence was the only thing that made the room come to life. Otherwise, if someone entered it would look like a guest room. Even when he was inside, the room stayed as impersonal as possible.

G's room, he noticed as he went in, wasn't anything like his. Pictures covered nearly every surface, there were only three, the dresser and nightstand were the ones with photos. The coffee table probably would have had some to if the storm guardian didn't like to leave his paperwork there. He dealt with the overload when Giotto wouldn't be able to get it done. A fact no one let the boss know, he'd slack if he did. He could only wonder of the amount G's office had if paperwork even ended up here.

As Alaude examined the pictures, weird feeling came over him. Something seemed wrong about them, but he couldn't pinpoint what it was. His eyes scanned over a picture, it being one he'd seen a million times, but quickly came back to it. Seeing it made him figure out what was odd about the other pictures. Just like this photo, it was the one with all the guardians around Giotto, who sat in a chair, the famiglia photograph as people liked to call it, the rest were also ceremonial.

There wasn't one that showed them in anything but their formal wear. Though there weren't any more of them all together, but neither were there any where they were alone. Asari and G never seemed to be without a third person either, not looking as if they were a couple at all. With just this short glance of the pictures it was obvious to him, as he was not a casual observer, that the storm guardian purposely left no clues about the famiglia's inner workings, or their private life. G probably kept the good pictures locked away somewhere. Really he should have known G would protect Vongola with everything he had. Just a few private photos could do a lot of damage.

Blue eyes inspecting the rest of the room, Alaude didn't find anything interesting. The only other thing worth noticing was the bed covered in piles of clean, new clothing. The laundry basket a few feet away from it was leaking dirty clothes and so were the dresser drawers. No wonder he'd never seen him in the same outfit twice unless he was coming back from a mission. The mess made his noise crinkle in distain.

G watched Alaude closely as the man glanced around his domain. The snobbish expression on the cloud guardian's face let him make little effort in trying to warn him as he walked forward and tripped over the slightly protruding blanket from under the coffee table, with no guilt. He stuffed his pillow there too instead of leaving it lying on the floor. "So, what do you want from me, Alaude?" He stared into the eyes of the man who had rather gracefully avoiding doing a face-plant after tripping over the blanket.

Alaude gazed right back at the storm guardian, wondering how on earth he was going to lay down his pride in front of him. The blonde was the first to look away, something that never happened besides when he was together with Giotto. Glaring at the wall now, he spoke quietly with a stiff tone, "How do I find out what made the invertebrate mad?" G's expression showed he didn't understand him, but he didn't say anything more. The minutes dragged on as he watched what he meant dawn on the other. He really didn't like the slow smirk that spread across his face.

* * *

><p>Uni peeked at Reborn from where she sat, a nervous air about her. The other Arcobaleno had been staring at his espresso, deep in thought, his brows furrowing as he did so. The show of expression was unusually in itself, but over espresso was just plain scary. The baby sized man, she checked the clock again just to make sure, has done been doing this for a little over an hour now. It was staring to get to her.<p>

Shōichi and Spanner were both on the other side of the hideout, talking with their heads close together, still trying to figure out a way to get Tsuna and the guardians back quicker. This world was slowly falling apart, courtesy of Vongola Undicesimo, for that's all they knew how to call him. He'd only told his name to a select few and she could only guess why no one found that suspicious.

Though the man wasn't actually like Byakuran yet, the things he did were slowly growing worse. If Tsuna couldn't get back here soon things would slowly advance until the Vongola reputation the Decimo had made deteriorated into nothing. The town's people would start to fear them again and there might be no way to fix it.

Reborn snapped out of it then, standing up so fast he nearly spilled his espresso. "How old should Tsuna be now?" Uni searched though the papers on her desk trying to find the information quick, but she was going to slow for him. Jumping up on the desk he kicked around until he found the data sheet Spanner and Shoichi worked out. It showed where the past time quickened and slowed down in comparison to theirs.

Uni looked over his shoulder at it. "About eight, why?" Reborn did the math in his head, but it didn't make him any happier. If Tsuna and his guardians' age gap remained the same, Lambo should be born in that timeline next year but…

"Uni, Vongola Undicesimo," he said it with disgust, "twisted your mother's flame to send them to the past, right?" The girl nodded, not liking where this was headed. "He had enough power over the situation to give them the worst life possible, so what's to say he didn't mess Aria's intention up more. He chose where he sent them; maybe he could have made it so Lambo wouldn't be born there." The last piece of the puzzle could never fall into place, stranding them in the past with no way home.

**Yeah, I'm just giving hints. Who knows, Reborn may even be over thinking things.**


	17. If Only

**Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman Reborn and its characters do not belong to me, they belong to Amano Akira**

**-Chapter Seventeen-**

**If Only **

Tsuna lay in bed staring up at the ceiling waiting for Hibari's breathing to even out. The black-haired boy hadn't done anything to him tonight, but he didn't want to chance him waking and torturing him. It was an irrational fear; the other never woke up until the first ray of daylight hit his face, unless he was disturbed. So far the only one daring enough to do so was Bertha and she didn't wake him if there was nothing planned.

So the brunette waited it out like he always did when he could still stand properly after Hibari fell asleep. It worried him that one day the skylark would wake up and he wouldn't be there. The consequents could be disastrous, but he felt safer when he was away from this beautiful beast.

The other child finally drifted off and Tsuna crawled out of bed slowly. T hitting the floor he backed away, not brave enough to turn his back, even when Hibari looked so peaceful. Glancing mournfully at his pants, which he'd taken off before getting in bed, he didn't waste time getting them and left the beast's lair. It was still winter, almost two months after his birthday, and his bare legs didn't help to warm him up. He felt eternally grateful that the over-sized shirt he wore was made out of a heavy cloth.

After many nights walking through the dimly lit mansion the brunette could honestly say that the shadows no longer scared him. There was only one thing he feared to come across at night and that was a scythe wielding demon. He still hadn't gotten over Daemon trying to kill him that first day, but sometimes the fear that arose from being near him felt different. Like his uneasiness around the melon sprang from something else, not the near-death experience that he could remember.

The familiar route Tsuna took led him to the stairs going up to the tower. The trip up them seemed to go quicker with each passing day, the climb didn't leave him breathless when he reached the top. Also unlike the first time he took this trip, the door was unlocked for him. Lampo liked to say that he only left it like that so he didn't wake the teen up.

Tsuna had no idea why he kept saying that when he didn't come too late the green-haired boy waited up for him. And just like he thought, once he opened the door, Lampo peeked out from under his pillow. They stared at one another for a second then the lighting guardian lifted the blanket that covered him, inviting the child under.

Smiling, the brunette dashed across the room and jumped into Lampo's bed. Immediately warm arms wrapped around his chilly frame and pulled him close. The first time he's done this was when Tsuna coiled around him like a snake sobbing. It had been the first night he wandered up here remembering how Lampo let him sit there, not questioning him. If he'd do that for a stranger he hoped he would do it for the child he knew.

Now the action seemed to come naturally to the teenager. So different than when he grumbled, sprouting nonsense about doing it because he just wanted the damn brat to shut up. "…Have another nightmare?" Tsuna nodded, sticking to the first story he'd given, though that night it had been true. "Sleep, Brat." And just like that the brunette fell into a dream of frightful origins.

* * *

><p>Tsuna was sitting behind Giotto's desk, tapping his pen against his lips. His eyes scanned a piece of paper in front of him, but he couldn't understand it. Body acting on its own he proceeded like he did and signed it, putting it on a quickly rising pile. He kept doing this until the door suddenly swung open, revealing what looked like a grown up Hayato.<p>

"Tenth! That damn cow got kidnapped along with that stupid woman's friend!" Tsuna flinched, standing up so fast he thought he'd get whiplash. Staring at Hayato, his eyes demanded more information. "The cow brat was out an about in town, like you tell him he shouldn't be, and Kyoko went to find him. They were taken by surprise, several witnesses accounts told us this." The silver-haired man grew worried as he spoke, watching his boss fall into an all consuming rage rarely happened.

"When did it happen?"

"Tw-two hours ago."

With just that the brunette slid on his jacket, which had been slung over the back of his chair, and bolted out of his office. Hayato ran to catch up with him, answering his questions as best he could, but knowing the only pressing one to Tsuna was the 'where' part. Hayato also asked a question of his own: If they should go by car or not.

If Tsuna knew the consequents of deciding not to take the car, he would have spared the extra time it would have took to get the vehicle out. Sadly, he didn't and the effects of doing the recuse mission of foot would go unknown until much later, when it was too late.

Leaving the mansion without a full set of bodyguards no longer terrified the brunette. The first year as Vongola boos had been horrifying. Every time he took one step out of the door bullets would rain down on him. Assassination attempts were not uncommon when a new boss took control if they didn't display their strength first, which Tsuna didn't do.

As time went on though, the attempts frequency slowed and altogether stopped when Tsuna accidently burned an assassin while training. The man lived and because of that word got out that he was not to be underestimated. So walking out with just Hayato on his heels didn't bother him at all.

The only obstacle in the brunette's path now happened to be that damn gate he could never open on his own, though he made quick work of it when he decided just to burn the thing. Tsuna felt a tad bit bad about it for a split second, nothing more because the silver-haired man right behind him jumped right over the melted remains he'd thought he would have trouble getting passed.

Running through the streets of Sicily wasn't fun even on a normal day, so doing this in such scorching heat didn't help with Tsuna's sour mood. Why in the world had the thought putting on a jacket would be a good idea?! The streets weren't as crowded as normal, the residents of the town he was in already running into their homes at the mere sight of him. The only time he showed himself being times of trouble. He had enough room to tear off his jacket mid-run and sling it over his shoulder.

Doing so quickly Tsuna kept running, but the jacket blocked his view for a second before landing on his shoulder. In that small amount of time a boy, no bigger than himself, walked out of a store carrying a bag. Once he could see again there was no time to dodge and he collided with him. Will alone kept the brunette on his feet, but the other boy fell, dropping the contents of his bag on the ground.

"Ah! I'm so sorry!" Tsuna leaned down to help collect the boy's things while he stared up at him. The Vongola Demico didn't get far though; Hayato came up behind him and grabbed hold of his arm. Glancing up he saw the look in his eye and remembered why he was running. Standing quickly, he spoke fast, "Sorry, but I really need to be somewhere." With a bow of apology that the Italian boy probably didn't understand he rushed off with his storm guardian.

The minute the body little Tsuna was seeing out from took a step forward to run, he was jostled out. Watching the body run off he wondered why he was forced out now. He stayed like that until he heard a rustling sound and then he peeked down at the boy who'd started collecting his things. Taking notice of the seemingly teenager's hands that had small scrapes on them from the fall, he tried to grab it. "Are you ok?"

There was no answer to the brunette's question and he soon realized that his hand had gone right through the other boy. Recalling that this was a dream and that something like this was totally normal he did his best not to be scared. Suddenly, the boy finished his task and began to walk away.

Tsuna wanted to explore and turned the other way, planning to see what this dream world was like. He didn't get far since a voice called out to him and not the slimy one that occurred so frequently of late. No, it was…kinder somehow. "Follow him." Still the surprise was enough to make him jump.

Spinning around the brunette found the source of the voice standing in front of him. It was a woman, one he didn't recognize, who had a pacifier hung around her neck. She pointed towards the boy walking off and spoke again, "Follow him." Confused he pointed at him like she did and the woman nodded. "Yes him."

Tsuna hesitated, but with another glance at the lady's kind face he sprinted off after the man. As he did so the dream became less vivid and a misty like quality made it more dreamlike than before.

After a short while following the other boy became boring. He wasn't doing anything interesting, just walking. So why did Tsuna have to watch him like this? That thought didn't last long though. There was a tap on his shoulder and he turned his head to look beside him. The woman was back and she had a grim expression on her face.

Her index fingertip glowed and she brought it to his forehead. The brunette flinched at the sight, but did nothing to stop the touch. Once the finger made contact with him he had a sudden burst of clarity, as if he knew everything in the world. Then it dimmed and the only light that remained from the knowledge narrowed onto the man in front of them.

_Stupid Vongola, think they can do anything that they please. Running into someone like that…those mafia scrum! If only they were half of what they tried to show themselves as, maybe the group would have a decent person or two. If I had the power I'd tell them what they can do with their 'good guys' act._

Tsuna head ached as thoughts from another flooded in. The emotions were intense, not just something that would cool down easily. Whoever the Vongola were he had some seriously bitter feelings about them. He wondered what they'd done to upset the man this much. The word 'Vongola' was familiar to him and he knew he had heard it somewhere before, but couldn't remember where…

The child dropped his train of thought as his mind got yanked in the direction of the man's thoughts that hadn't gone away yet. _Damn it. They're back!_ Lifting his head from where he'd been staring at the ground, he noticed a gang of three mean looking men at the end of an alley that the boy he was following was about to pass.

"Hey, did ya miss us, Ernesto?" The biggest among the three came out of the alley and slung his arm around the boy's shoulder, dwarfing him. He wasn't gentle about it, so the extra weight jostled the other enough for a carton of milk to fall out of the bag he was holding. Surprisingly, when the carton hit the stone sidewalk it didn't break open, it just lied there like it belonged.

The boy tried to pick it up, but the arm on his shoulder snaked around his neck turning into a chokehold. Smirking, one of the other men picked it up, caressing the edges, the movement belying the twisted smile on his face. _It hurts. Can't breathe._ Even if the boy wanted to speak he wouldn't be able to with how tight the hold was.

Seeing this, the man choking Ernesto let up on the hold a bit. Gasping for breath he sucked in the air greedily. _If I had the strength I'd torture all of you until you begged me to stop! No, even then I'd do it till they're dead!_ Tsuna flinched, the venom in the thoughts being so intense that it nearly started to physically hurt him. _The things I'd so to them are unimaginable!_

"Wha-what do you want now, Vongola?" Staring at the boy in wonder, the brunette could hardly believe what he'd just heard. He assumed Ernesto's voice would be just as harsh as his thoughts, but it wasn't. Not even close. Although the voice was coarse from the earlier choking, behind that was a shockingly velvety soft sound. There was no way he could have conceived the idea that someone with such horrible thoughts could sound so pleasant.

The Vongola men already seemed used to it, since if they weren't the voice was worth at least a slight pause. Actually the soft tone might be what made them think he'd be easy to pick on and in truth, he was. It was confusing the way he went through each and every detail in how he would kill them, but never planning to do so.

Tsuna could do nothing to help the boy as the biggest man continued to play his choking game with him. Each time Ernesto was about to pass out from lock of oxygen he'd loosen the hold. Though it was obvious by the way the brunette hands had gone through a solid body earlier he'd tried several times to help, each attempt ending in him falling through both men. Soon he'd given up, not being able to do anything but watch.

The leader of the thugs that held Ernesto pushed him onto his knees, facing the man with the milk carton. Before this as he got choked the third man had come forward, he was the biggest in arm muscle size, and punched him several times in the face and stomach. By now his body looked covered in blooming bruises and blood.

Yet, they couldn't just end it like that, and even as tears ran freely down Tsuna's face while he screamed for them to stop, they didn't. Maybe it was because they couldn't hear him, but it was possible they wouldn't have stopped either way. For reasons unknown he couldn't run away from this scene, he knew he needed to see this.

The milk carton was opened and slowly raised above the kneeing boy's head. _It won't hurt…it won't hurt._ This was the reassuring chart Ernesto gave himself as he figured out what the Vongola subordinates were about to do. But this isn't meant to hurt; the humiliation is what they want. He wasn't willing to give them that also. Although he got injured, sacrificed his body, his pride was all he had left, no matter how bruised it was.

Ernesto tried to stand up, pushing against the hands on his shoulders keeping him in this position. "Oh, he's still got some fight left in him." The sentence was spoken causally, but he could tell they didn't like it, him fighting for once. "Guess he hasn't learned his lesson yet." The yet tacked onto the end of that made Tsuna uneasy so he could only imagined what it did to the other.

The struggle went on, but nothing came of it. Ernesto remained kneeling and the milk carton was tipped ever so slowly so the enjoyment of the moment would last a little longer. Milk dripped down his face, tinted red by his blood, having flattened his hair to his head. Some had gotten into his mouth thanks to the way the man had grabbed his hair and forced his face skyward.

Tsuna heard what Ernesto was about to do, but couldn't prevent him from doing so. The action would only make the bullies mad and the consequents with these men would be far worse than what the neighborhood kids did to him. He wondered why that woman had wanted him to see this. So it was with a sick kind of fascination that he watched Ernesto spit the milk back up at the man who poured it.

The next thing either of them knew, Tsuna could tell by the other boy's thoughts how much he hadn't expected this, Ernesto got smacked across the face so hard that he fell over, the guy behind him having let go. Before he could even form a coherent thought they were all on him, pounding away. No matter how hard the brunette screamed and tried to interfere the scene didn't change. All he could feel was pain, pain, pain waves that the boy kept thinking about.

Soon Tsuna couldn't recognize Ernesto as the guy he ran into. His features were swollen and bloody, not bearing a slight resemblance to the person he'd been before. When the thugs were completely through with him the child was sure that limbs shouldn't bend the way Ernesto's right leg was. His arms weren't fairing much better, but at least they were usable if need be. He found all this out from the quick assessment Ernesto did of his own damage.

The brunette didn't know how he did it but as the minutes passed the other boy slowly began to get up from the ground. His thoughts were vengeful again and now he could understand what made Ernesto think like that in the first place. These Vongola were terrible people. What other kind of person would hurt another so much with so little provoking.

Tsuna had no desire to see how awful Ernesto's life could get and so when the boy finally got to his feet fully he didn't follow. Why's he listen to that woman anyway? She didn't give him a reason to. As Ernesto hobbled away he forced himself to stay put, not to get involved. After all this was a dream-more like nightmare-which he would wake up from soon. Nothing could hurt him in this dream world…

So if nothing could hurt him why was Tsuna afraid to follow? Ernesto was just a figment of his imagination, there wasn't really a boy like him that's been hurt this much. That's why he could hear his thoughts when it would be impossible in real life.

It was with these thoughts that the brunette got up from where he'd sat down and started after Ernesto. The two didn't get far before Tsuna started to panic, the boy he stalked was walking forward, and not paying attention to any of the warning signs they passed. There was a construction site up ahead and the signs were warning of deep pitfalls. Tugging away at Ernesto's sleeve the eight-year-old tried to prevent him from taking another step forward.

With the kind of resolve Tsuna showed in stopping Ernesto he was sure that if he could hold onto something solid the boy would have been dragged backwards. Even with his merger strength of a child the beaten man would fall easily if only, if only he wasn't so ghost like in this dream! Because of that woman and his misty frame he had to watch as Ernesto walked forward unexpectingly.

Stumbling onward Ernesto wiped some of the blood, the dripped from a cut above his eye, away trying to clear his vision. That alone wouldn't help though since everything around him was already blurry, the blood just wasn't helping. He saw two white and orange blocks of something and passed through the space between the obstacles, wondering what they were, but not giving it much thought at all.

It was a stupid choice and soon Ernesto regretted making it. One second both feet were on the hard ground and then they weren't. He tried to pull back, but it was too late and he fell forward into a deep hole. His head slammed into a rock on the way down and he could feel liquid begin to seeped out of the wound the collision made. Hitting the hard surface at the bottom though had to be the worst of it.

A fall from that distance felt like every bone in his body was broken beyond repair. So he laid there letting his emotional and physical pain consume him_. If only I had the strength I'd rip them limb from limb. Those damn Vongola! Their famiglia should be destroyed, take away their leader and they'd have nothing._ Being true to the 'shoot the horse' style the guardians would have to be targeted first.

If the Vongola tenth wanted to be looked at the same he would surely take the hit for them. If only I had the power to destroy Vongola 10th. Tsuna heard Ernesto's thoughts and felt some sort of familiarity at hearing the tenth, but he didn't concentrate on that. No, it was the tone the words were thought in that had him glancing down the hole with frightened eyes. The voice sounded so much like the slimly venomous one he heard so often…just different.

The brunette gasped at the bloody version of Ernesto that his chocolate brown eyes were met with. He started to climb down the hole when the other's thoughts suddenly stopped. They were then and the next second they weren't. Remembering this was a dream again he let go of the side of the hole and let gravity take him. Well, it would have if there was any gravity to do so, but o he just floated there. It was like water surrounded him, so he swam down towards Ernesto.

Tsuna just settled down on the ground and realized with rising horror that Ernesto wasn't breathing anymore when a tiny flying saucer lowered itself from the sky, stopping in front of Ernesto's dead body. Dead…

The Frisbee like thing floated there, like the child had earlier, and the side opened letting a baby walk out. This was the first time he'd seen one with so much hair, especially that green color of it! Still it was an infant even if he had a lob coat on.

When the baby pushed his glasses he wore up onto his small nose the brunette noticed the pacifier that hung around his neck. It was a different color than the one the woman wore, but it was still a pacifier that sort of glowed. "Perfect timing, I needed something to experiment on."

Tsuna's eyes widened, but before he could do anything his ghost like figure started to get sucked away to somewhere else. And with a groan his spirit snapped back into the body he'd been in previously, he could tell because he spotted Hayato in his peripheral vision. Though the older Hayato seemed taller than he remembered and he realized why soon enough.

The brunette was on his knees shaking uncontrollable. Words slipped passed his lips though he wasn't thinking them, "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. So, so sorry. Sorry!" The word became a chant and as he couldn't stop it he decided to examine where he was. As he observed the scene he became nauseous, wanting to puke and being unable to do so.

In coming here Tsuna traded one bloody vision for a worse one. Bodies that he figured used to be human lay in charred messes. Some weren't just crispy though, it would have been better if they were instead of this. Several were cut open in such a way that even horror movie directors would have never come up with. Blood littered the floor where these bodies lay.

In the middle of this corpse field was a woman with a cow patterned shirt wrapped around her head tightly, blocking her eyes from the sight. Large headphones covered her ears and she clasped the iPod they were plugged into close to her bosom. He stared at her awhile until he heard a sound, shifting his attention elsewhere.

Behind her, in the shadows, was a boy whose face was hidden by the darkness. The shadows didn't hide everything though and the eight-year-old could see the red liquid soaked his clothing. He'd only ever seen one other person covered in blood -Hibari- and that couldn't even compare to this. The sound that caught his notice was the boy taking in a deep breath; he released it then in the form of words.

"Don't be sorry." That froze Tsuna's chant and he had to suck in a breath of his own when the teenager leaned forward, showing his face for the first time. The boy's black hair was matted with blood and he had a few spurts of the fluid on his cheeks. The undershirt he wore was tore and his eyes were full of pure panic, no matter what he said.

But none of this was what shocked him, he couldn't' say that for his bodies reaction though, no it was because he looked just like Lampo, besides the hair. The mark under his eye looked different also, but the light wasn't so good that he could be sure. "Your first kill shouldn't have been like this, not this type of slaughter."

The teenager's lip trembled, but he bit on it, holding tears back. "They tried to hurt her…I had to do it."

The brunette leaned down and entrapped the boy in his arms. "I know." He ended his sentence there yet in his head he continued. It was the first thought his body decided to share with him. _If only I didn't get you involved in all of this._ And then he woke up.

**This chapter was supposed to be for Halloween, but as you can see that didn't happen. I got sick and since I couldn't send it out for what it was planned for I toned down the horror. Now this is just a small showing of why the first chapter even happened. I think you can guess who the man who killed Tsuna was. How should still be a little fuzzy though.**


	18. Hibari's Rose

**Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman Reborn and its characters do not belong to me, they belong to Amano Akira**

**-Chapter Eighteen-**

**Hibari's Rose**

The weeks dragged on and after a while Tsuna forgot about the bloody dream he'd woken up from screaming. Lampo still watched him carefully, but he wasn't obvious about it and for that he was grateful. No one else needed to know that he still had nightmares, even if this one had been strange in its quality. He didn't even tell Lampo that he was in the dream.

Tsuna felt that if he told anyone the things he saw then something bad would happen. Fate went easy on him though and almost instantly after he woke he couldn't remember why he was so scared, like the nightmare hadn't happened at all. Lampo wasn't being cautious about the dream, the brunette did have them occasionally when they slept together, it was how the boy had forgotten so quickly that worried him.

Lampo took to staring at the brunette whenever he got the chance. Though he only did this when he saw sure no one else would realize, he figured out quite a lot about the child. Tsuna never really relaxed if he was around people. Even Gokudera and Yamamoto, his new found friends, couldn't ease the boy's tension. With Mukuro near it only got worse, Tsuna was smart about that one. Chrome seemed to be the easiest for him to be near and he thought that odd, most boys would be nervous around girls at his age.

Tsuna's reaction towards Hibari was hard to figure out. Sometimes he tensed, then relaxed and other times that was reversed. The boy's body language towards his first friends was always changing, never being completely at ease or guarded. It seemed like he knew how unpredictable Hibari's actions were and tried to stay conscious of that fact. Yet not once did he see the two together when others were present.

If the brunette child happened to be with Gokudera or Yamamoto when Hibari came he quickly left them to join the older boy. Lampo couldn't tell if he did this willingly or not. It seemed like a mix of both so he never tried to interfere. If the two were a little too close he didn't notice. Passing it off as childish friendship maybe? He would have never thought kids could have that type of relationship.

* * *

><p>Tsuna was hanging out in Hibari's room, reading a children's book that lay on his knees. He sat on the bed with his back against the wall, flipping the pages of the book. For the day he'd been forbidden to go play with 'those stupid herbivores' since it was raining out and the skylark had nothing better to do than stay in his room. So far that's all they had done, stayed in his room amusing themselves with whatever was in it.<p>

Hibari sat across the room in a chair reading a difficult novel again. It had been like this for a few hours and Tsuna has yet to notice how the other boy kept glancing up from his book to look at him. Didn't realize he hadn't turned the page in a long while. The thing he did notice was him suddenly getting up and walking over to him.

Tsuna froze, not daring to move an inch since their activities from the night before left him aching, unable to move far without pain shooting up from his backside. If Hibari decided to do something now it would be more painful than usual. He prepared himself for anything the boy might do to him, but felt his worry vanish once a pillow was shoved under his butt.

Hibari placed it just right, half of it under him and half protecting his back from the hard wall. The first time something like this happened Tsuna thought he was being kind, but that wasn't why he did this. He'd said it was just to properly elevate his head. The skylark had taken a liking to resting on him.

When the older boy's head touched his lap Tsuna put his book down and went for his silky hair. Even after Hibari hurt him he never stopped playing with his hair. The softness of it was addicting and so they both enjoyed the feeling. Hibari for the action's soothing appeal and the brunette because he couldn't get over the texture.

So they stayed like that, doing the one thing that hadn't changed for them in years. Soon enough though Hibari felt Tsuna's fingers stop moving and opened his grey eyes, seeing that the boy had fallen asleep. His shoulders started leaning forward in what the black-haired boy knew was an uncomfortable position. He rolled off the kid's lap to lay him down so he wouldn't be hurting when he woke.

After the skylark settled Tsuna he laid there himself and stared into the boy's sleeping face. It was quite pretty, but no as beautiful as the brunette's animated face. Once, a long, long time ago, he'd witnessed his father watch his mother sleep. Back then he didn't understand what had put that look of wonder on the man's usually expressionless face, but now he did.

Watching the one you love sleep makes a sort of protective instinct stir. Remembering this had him thinking about all the other things he'd seen his father do with his mother. One memory he distinctly recalled was of him giving her a rose. It happened early on, before they would get in fights so bad that the owner of the brothel would have to step in. That's when things got really bad.

Though back then the rose made Hibari's mother smile, so why shouldn't it work like that with the brunette? He'd noticed recently how Tsuna seemed to lack his usual shine; actually it'd been slowly dimming. A rose should perk him right up. After all when Mukuro gave him a rose he'd been happy. If it was Hibari, who he loved, it would bring even more happiness. With that plan the boy headed out to the garden to find the perfect rose, the rain never bothered him, he'd only stayed in the room since he didn't want Tsuna wandering around in it.

* * *

><p>Yamamoto had his hands over his eyes and was facing a tree while he counted down from a hundred. He was just finishing up the horrible experience with excitement, " 1. Here I come ready or not!" Turning, he did a quick survey of the area; there was no Hayato in sight. After an argument earlier of how he'd been following the silver-haired boy around said child stated his wish for a game of hide-n'-seek outside.<p>

The only problem with that had been the rain pouring down from the sky. Still Hayato insisted and since he didn't ask for anything often Yamamoto granted his wish. A quick game of rock-paper-scissors left the black-haired boy as it. The rules were simple: don't' look, and count from a hundred. Forgetting a number once or twice had him having to start over. Waiting in the rain like that didn't upset him at all. The prize was time with his anchor and that was good enough for him.

Sneezing, Yamamoto looked up at the hidden sun. He'd probably been out here around an hour, counting. Now he could go find Hayato in his hiding place! That's what he was about to do when he caught sight of Hibari heading into the garden, somewhere he never saw him before. Curiosity took over and he followed him. He would just get a peek then go find the silver-haired boy.

* * *

><p>Lounging in the library Hayato flipped a page of the book and read the last words written. His interested expression turned irritated and he threw it aside. Writers who finish with a terrible ending didn't deserve to be considered authors in his opinion. Propped up in the overstuffed chair sulking, he glanced out the window. The rain was coming down hard and as far as he could tell that idiot hadn't come back in yet.<p>

Biting his lip Hayato tried not to feel guilty. It wasn't like it was his fault if the moron didn't put two and two together and realize he didn't hide out there, didn't hide anywhere really. After that incident in the tower Yamamoto clung to him way too much. This was just his way of fixing that. Yet what if idiot #2 thought he'd been abandoned, which he had actually done? He wouldn't throw himself off the roof next, would he?

As Hayato sat there thinking about Yamamoto out there in the rain all alone, worry began to eat into him. Releasing his now bloody lip he shot out of his chair, storming out of the room with new determination. He'd just go see if the idiot was still out there. It didn't' matter to him if he was or not though. The only reason he was doing this in the first place is to see if he's actually that dumb.

The silver-haired boy made quick work of the stairs, rushing out of the mansion as fast as he could, stopping only to grab two umbrellas, two because he tried to take one, but accidently took two. Peeking out from the stairs leading into the backyard he got a look at the tree where he'd left Yamamoto to count.

Blinking at it Hayato stood up maneuvering the umbrellas so he wouldn't' get wet. There wasn't anyone at the base of the tree and he was pretty sure that idiot hadn't turned invisible. Maybe…maybe an UMA had seen him there and taken him! With a quick scan of the rest of the yard his fears quickly resided. Yamamoto had just wandered into the garden maze. Sighing with slight disappointment he ran after him.

The walls of the maze were a deep green, being made out of bush as they were. The snow had recently completely disappeared, leaving behind warm yet rainy weather. The maze didn't look half as good as it did when there wasn't rain clouding his vision. Hayato still couldn't' understand its purpose though, even if it was pretty. The maze was complicated, showing that someone wasted time planning it deeply. So complicated that sometimes even the adults could get lost in it and that's why they were told not to go in.

Yamamoto, the dumbass he was, went in without even thinking about it. Could he really think Hayato would hide there? Cursing anything and everything he tried to find the other boy in this mess of plants. Tripping over a root he fell, landing face first in the dirt. Yanking his feet out from under the root he hoped they'd make it out without killing themselves.

Once Hayato heard G talking about the maze and how it was Asari's favorite place to play his flute, something the children have yet to see him do. He liked the maze so much that in the middle of it he made a garden which he took care o when he had time. Otherwise it was the gardener's god. G's little talk hadn't made much of an impression on him since he wasn't a flower person, but maybe Yamamoto was.

While walking through the maze Hayato kept glancing down at the ground not wanting to trip over anything else. He should have known that by doing so he might bump into something. It was okay for a long while, walking like that. He didn't' know how much time he'd spent in here so far, but he knew he was lost when he looked back and had no idea how to get back to the exit.

It was around this time that he looked down at his feet and his head collided with a hard body. Backing up he held it, "Damn it!" Suddenly a hand clasped over his mouth and Yamamoto pushed his face towards his, quieting him. Glaring at the boy's shoulder he tried to growl. He had his suspicions of what the hard-as-rock thing he hit his head against was, stupid too tall idiot.

After Hayato agreed to being quiet Yamamoto let him go and pointed to the edge of one of the maze walls. He gave him a questioning look and the boy urged him to look around the corner. Finally doing so, he poked his head out and held back a choked sound. Hibari stood in the middle of what seemed to be Asari's garden. The bastard was browsing through the roses, trying to pick one out.

"I didn't want to disturb him when he's focusing like that. He's giving this some thought." Yamamoto had crept up behind Hayato 'till he was breathing down his neck. Swatting him away the silver-haired child watched Hibari carefully. "What do you think he is getting roses for?" The idiot couldn't tell? They were obviously for the Tenth, the bastard never hung out with anyone else.

While they watched, Hibari decided on a rose. It was of a lavender color and had a long stem. Plucking it he brought it to his nose. The smell wasn't bad at all. Tsuna should be asleep since it hadn't taken but forty minutes to find the rose; he'd thought it would take longer to find the garden. There had only been two mix ups n the end, this proved he was pretty good at guessing which turns to take.

Done with admiring the flower the ten year old suddenly became aware of the presence of two intruding herbivores. He'd concentrated too hard on the directions and had been trailed without realizing. Bitter feelings arose from the knowledge and with it the urge to bite the perpetrators to death. Not being someone who repressed impulses he went at them with his tonfas at the ready. Bashing their skulls in would make his day even better, more so if it would keep them out of his hair for the rest of it.

Hayato, who saw Hibari coming, started to pull out the dynamite he recently obtained from one of the weapon storage rooms, but Yamamoto placed a hand over his, shaking his head. "You'll destroy the garden."

Which was Asari's, who'd be a tad bit mad about any damage done to it. With that level of anger the rain guardian would only use the mental torture of guilt on them, acting the innocent as he did so. Between that and getting their ass kicked by the bastard once, he'd choose the ass-kicking. "What do you suggest we do then?" Though Hayato would rather have that, he wasn't too fond of the idea either.

Tightening the grip on the other boy's hand Yamamoto pulled him away from the edge of the plant wall, grinning as he did. "We run!" And so they did, an enraged skylark behind them the whole way. There was no desire to be caught by him for either of them. Too bad it didn't' look like Hibari planned to stop the hunt any time soon. Not even after they burst out of the maze and into the open.

Huffing, Hayato glanced back and gasped out, "The bastard isn't giving up! What a persistent ass he is." Yamamoto chuckled, running faster towards the mansion, forcing him to do the same. Their interlocking fingers made sure of that. The thought of that reminded him that they were in fact holding hands. Blushing, he involuntary squeezed and the black-haired boy looked over at him questioningly. Heart beating erratically, he jerked their hands apart and ran into the mansion with a speed he never had before.

Stupidly, Yamamoto slowed with surprise and in seconds Hibari pulled him backwards by his shirt. He hit the other's shorter frame, but they didn't fall and he attributed that to Hibari being quite sturdy. Taking a peek at the older boy's eyes the two stayed like that for a minute. Then Yamamoto chuckled lightly, "I'm not getting out of this am I?" A tonfa came crashing towards his head and he took that as an abrupt 'no.'

* * *

><p>In Hibari's room Tsuna woke up when his body slumped from his sitting position onto the bed completely. The tiny fall startled him and forced him back to consciousness. Blinking slowly, he scanned the room for his missing friend. If Kyoya had been there he wouldn't have fallen in the first place. The child wasn't anywhere in sight and he worked himself into a slight panic before he reasoned with himself. This never happened, he was always the one who left and then came back, but the boy could just be going to the bathroom. After all they'd been cooped up in here all day.<p>

The brunette got back into a sitting position and waited like that for a few minutes. When there was no sign of Hibari he began to worry again. Getting up from the bed he wandered over to the window. Out in the rain he saw Hibari, but he had someone with him. It was Yamamoto and just as he figured that out the skylark attacked.

Tsuna got out a quiet scream and then put his hand over his mouth. He needed to remind himself that this wasn't unusual for Hibari, he beat up whoever he wanted, whenever. Yamamoto just happened to be an unlucky victim. He used to think differently, but as time passed he realized he beat some people up for no reason at all. It was the type of guy he was.

Watching them out in the rain like that filled Tsuna with anxiety. The rain would hinder Hibari's vision and one wrong hit could result in Yamamoto being permanently injured. Right when he decided to go out and stop the beating the older boy finished and let go of the tall child. He glanced up at the window and the brunette went down right in time to avoid being seen. What should he do? Stay here and wait for the skylark to come or run while he still had half a chance?

The decision was made for Tsuna when the door to the room opened. As it did the brunette jumped onto the bed soundlessly and pretending to be asleep. Hibari sauntered in, leaving him to wonder once again how he traveled around the mansion so quickly, and then glanced over at the bed. His expression was disinterested, but for some reason Tsuna felt like he was holding something back. Shaking the feeling off, as if the skylark would be interested in him in any way other than fucking, he closed his eyes all the way not wanting to get caught.

Hibari waited outside his bedroom, getting himself ready for facing the brunette. It would be embarrassing to show him how excited he was about his reaction to the rose. Schooling his expression that was showing a little, he opened the door and went in. Peeking over at Tsuna he took note of how he'd moved in his sleep. He stopped for a second just to look at him and then headed for the boy, rose hidden behind his back.

Tsuna evened out his breathing as best he could and waited as the skylark approached. Soon he felt the light touch of Kyoya's hand smoothing over his hair, an action the other hadn't done since his birthday. Minutes passed before the boy moved his hand and that was to wake him up. "Herbivore…" Slowly, he opened his eyes and stretched, pretending he really had been asleep. Once his browns orbs met Hibari's grey ones he leaned down and gave him a kiss on the nose. Surprised, he stiffened, preparing himself for a sudden attack.

Nothing happened though and the brunette relaxed into the blankets. This gentleness was odd coming from Hibari. He almost felt like he was with his old Kyoya-nii. That was untrue though; there would be no going back to how they used to be. He could no longer trust the older boy and friendship was based on that. A relationship without trust would not last. The way Hibari was looking at him now though made him want to change his mind and take all that was being offered to him.

Hibari's hand, which the brunette hadn't noticed he'd kept behind his back, came out from hiding then and showed the rose he held to him. It was a pretty lavender color, but it couldn't even compare to the skylark's beautiful grey eyes. Was this flower a peace offering, a gift to express his regret for everything he'd done to him?

Trembling with unchecked joy he reached out and took hold of the rose. Before Hibari could let go they experienced what Mukuro and Tsuna had on that horrible day which changed their bond forever. His mind sunk into its self like it did when Mukuro gave him his rose, and he saw flashes of that man he always saw when he kissed Hibari. There were more now though and it took a while for him to realize who the images were of.

Normally it was just a quick view of the faceless man, but in these he started off as a teen. Unlike with the way he saw the boy in Mukuro's rose age, this man's happened suddenly. One second there was an image of a teenager getting on something that had huge wings and the next a man walking into a room that had a lot of teenagers sitting in desks with an adult writing on a board. It was around this time that the images began to…_change_.

Visions of the faceless man started to appear with him having less and less clothing on. It wasn't all the time, but there were quite a few like this. The last image was one of what looked to be a parting. He walked onto that thing with huge wings again and didn't reappear. For some reason an awful feeling of loneliness settled into his gut once it was over.

Gasping, Tsuna tore his hand away from the rose, but Hibari kept his hand on it paralyzed by what he had seen probably. The images he saw changed his view of the man he frequently caught a glimpse of completely. He wondered how he could have never noticed the resemblance he had to Alaude. He only realized now because in some of the visions he saw him fighting with, believe it or not, handcuffs. The same type Alaude regularly pulled out, an action that immediately quieted every adult in the room. Well, except Giotto and sometimes Asari.

The two boys didn't move for a long while. It was quiet in the room, the only sound being Tsuna's harsh breathing. His head ached like a sledgehammer had slammed into it several times. While he was trying to recover Hibari held out the rose to him. The pain quickly faded once he got distracted, very much like the first occurrence of this flower ritual. It was as if the pain happened only to have him not want to think about what he saw.

Smiling lightly, Tsuna accepted the rose and brought it to his nose to sniff. It hadn't been with Hibari long but it already had his scent, the perfect mix of vanilla and oranges. These were accompanied by a tint of blood, a scent that never left the skylark no matter how clean he was. Maybe it came from his tonfas since they always stayed with him, even if no one could ever tell where he hid, and they surely had some blood on them.

Seeing how happy the brunette was Hibari needed to hold back a grin. From what he could tell he liked this rose more than Mukuro's. Whenever he thought about that day he still got angry, yet on a lower scale. Tsuna was his now, there would be no one that could take him away. So as not to let the other child see his satisfied expression, that could slip out any second, he left the room.

Seeing Hibari leave Tsuna almost tried to stop him, but couldn't' bring himself to do so. The boy might get mad if he did. He frowned as he watched him go; he'd thought they were having a moment. Sighing, he got up and went to his own room. There he opened his nightstand drawer to put the rose in, but stopped halfway.

Inside the drawer there was another rose, one that he thought he'd never see again. Mukuro's rose, crumped as the last time he saw it, lay there eerily glowing. Glancing at Hibari's it let out a tiny glow also then flickered out along with Mukuro's. Stuffing the lavender rose in the drawer he slammed it shut, planning never to open it again unless need be.

**Chapter nineteen will have more plot in it and there was some revealed here to. Hope you all had a nice thanksgiving! Nineteen should be coming out around Sunday, but don't get your hopes too high.**


	19. Secret Revealed

**Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman Reborn and its characters do not belong to me, they belong to Amano Akira**

**-Chapter Nineteen-**

**Secret Revealed**

Outside the mansion, in the darkness, a baby jumped up into a tree. A yellow pacifier around his neck shined into the face of a girl who didn't stop staring at the mansion. "It's my shift, Uni." Finally, she looked down at him yet still remained silent. "Did anything interesting happen yesterday?" Her eyes went back to the mansion before she gave him her report.

"Yamamoto got beat up in the rain by Hibari yesterday so he is sick now. Gokudera had to help him to his room." Reborn nodded, sipping at the espresso he'd brought with him. "…Giotto and Alaude still aren't speaking to each other. Alaude has stopped trying after Primo spilled coffee on him, though from G's advice he thinks he might be able to fix things if he only let him talk." Uni caught sight of the Vongola boss walking into the kitchen then and looked away.

"I had a vision of Asari. Cavallone Primo finally came back from his travels so he'll be able to establish the alliance soon."

Reborn sat cross-legged on the tree branch wearing an old man disguise. "What problem do you see with those things, Child?" Uni let out a little giggle before she could control herself and the other Arcobaleno went back to normal. "What's bothering you, Uni?"

Looking up at the sky that was just starting to lighten she reached out her hand trying to grab a star. "It's hard not to tell them how the choices they make now will affect the future. The tenth generation being here is messing everything up. Alaude and Giotto aren't supposed to fight over _this_. Asari isn't the one who made the alliance, what if things don't go as they did before? Cavallone could become the Vongola's enemy."

Suddenly, a hat was pushed onto Uni's head and her tears, which started falling without her realizing, were hidden from sight. "We have to see how this plays out. That man might not have permanently damaged the past. If Dame-Tsuna and his guardians get back to the future everything has a chance of being fixed." She hadn't thought of it that way before and the information calmed her. The future wasn't totally ruined, it could be repaired, like when Byakuran messed it up.

After Uni composed herself she gave the hat back to Reborn. Just in time to since she saw a woman quickly walking away from the mansion. The direction she was coming from happened to be the front door of said mansion. Looking there the young girl saw a basket with a blanket sticking out from a corner of it. "It's time, Reborn." This is what they'd been waiting for, to see if there would be a baby appearing that looked like Lambo. To find out if the thunder guardian would be born.

Almost instantly Reborn was out of the tree and standing a few feet from the basket, glancing back at Uni. She quickly followed his example. "This place has poor security."

Reborn gave her praise for realizing that and leaned down to move the blanket, going to uncover the baby's face. "The first generation isn't all about security yet. They haven't paid off the mansion and although they're the top famiglia the guardians go through money like water. When they fight things get broken." As he lifted the blanket he added, "Plus anyone stupid enough to break in has to face Alaude's homemade security system. One wrong step and you'll go 'boom'!"

Uni gave him a 'you-couldn't-have-told-me-that-before' look and glanced wearily at the ground. "The woman got lucky." Just as he was about to see the baby's face the door started to open and they retreated. There wasn't a doorbell, but obviously that bell on a string near the door worked just as well. Seemed like Primo had butlers that actually did their job. The butler took one look at the basket, sighed, and grabbed hold of it to take it inside.

Watching from a tree, that the two had gotten into just in time, their eyes followed the butler and the baby. The infant, hopefully Lambo, was brought into the sitting room where G, Lampo, and Knuckle were. "Sirs, there was a child on the doorstep."

G, who was reading in a chair that faced away from the entryway, stiffened in surprise. "Another one?" Putting down his book he sunk into the chair more. "We already got seven!" The word orphanage was on the tip of his tongue when a hand settled onto his shoulder, fingers tightening on it. It was an easy guess to who's fingers they were. Knuckle's had always been shorter and thicker than Lampo's, a true fighter's hand.

"You should let your eyes gaze upon this child, G." Knuckle was using that damn priest like tone with him again. He liked the guy much better when he was just being loud, he'd feel less guilty for his actions. Mentally growling, he turned to look, just to satisfy the man since nothing he would see could change his mind. Oh, how wrong he was. Instead of a large child, like he expected, it was a basket with a blanket inside. Sticking out from the side of was a pudgy little arm.

"Shit!" The word came out so fast G didn't even have time to remember Knuckle was in the room. Fortunately for him, the priest was absorbed with the infant and didn't scold him. Pushing himself up and out of the chair, the storm guardian went to the butler, who carried the basket gently, and slowly pulled down the cover to see the babe's face. Lampo and Knuckle were also crowded around the butler to witness the unveiling.

Reborn and Uni watched the scene unfold from the sitting room window. The minute the infant could be seen the Arcobaleno's eyes locked onto it to check if the baby was Lambo or not. It only took a second to come up with an answer, "I'd know that stupid face anywhere." Uni shook her head in agreement. It was Lambo alright, number signs under both his eyes and all. The man hadn't made it impossible to get back to the future.

Immediately after G pulled the cover away from the baby's face his hand went towards the back of Lampo's skull with alarming speed. The collision left the youngest guardian on the floor, moaning in pain. "Fuck! We can ignore all the other children's similarities to us, believe it is just a coincidence since the ages don't match, but this is a newborn. You really fucking messed up this time. You'll find this child's mother and marry her you man-whore!"

Lampo put his arms up in defense as G loomed over him, looking more like a storm than ever. "No, you got the wrong idea! I haven't been with a woman n over a year." Sadly that was the truth and it felt so un-Lampo like to actually admit it. He took pride in how attractive he was and this information hurt it. Still there was no way he was going to let himself be killed over a misunderstanding. "Just a coincidence like everything else."

G could feel his stress level meter shooting sky high and collapsed onto the couch, not in the mood to argue. "So, who's gonna tell Giotto about this?" It was Lampo again, the teen didn't' know when to shut up did he? Still the words were enough for the Vongola Primo's right-hand man to look up and give him a not-going-to-happen expression to fill in for a verbal 'no' to it being him. Knuckle could deal with the blonde this time around.

While they started to fight about that, Ryohei wandered into the sitting room. The last fingernail lit up, glowing a bright green color then it stopped like all the others had. By now it wasn't that much of a surprise and the white-haired kid barely noticed the glow. No one else did either; too busy yelling back and forth. Knuckle was only looking on though, not getting involved in the shouting match. Soon their fighting caught the attention of Giotto a few hallways away.

Wandering what his guardians were up to now the blonde man left his office, where he was eating his breakfast, to investigate. Upon entering the sitting room his eyes were instantly drawn to the basket in the butler's hands, a baby inside it. It was pretty easy to put two and two together, figuring out that they had a new edition to their family. The smallest one yet to! He wasn't the only one to have heard the yelling, and after a little while all the guardians in the mansion were gathered in the sitting room.

G and Lampo weren't paying attention to their surroundings and before they knew it everyone found out about the baby in the basket. None had the delusion that Giotto weren't be keeping the infant and started to think of names. The storm and thunder guardians stopped fighting and joined the naming process, showing themselves as the silly family they really were. In the end it was Ryohei who came up with the best one, looking confused he said, "Lambo." Then started scratching his head wondering where the name came from.

Once they were done admiring the infant Giotto suggested they go get the rest of the children to show off their new younger brother, the butler had to look since none of the guardians wanted to. The excitement would wear off soon though. They'd have to realize that because Lambo was so young diapers would have to be changed.

The six of them decided to find their look-a-likes the exception being Alaude, who quickly disappeared once the name decision was done. Asari wasn't here so Knuckle would find Takeshi in his place, Giotto tagging along. Lampo would take Alaude's place in getting Hibari. By default Tsuna should probably be found with him. Giotto only gave it up because he had no desire to see the skylark. Even if his beloved little brother he would not be considered his son because he was only in his twenties was there to.

* * *

><p>Inside Hibari's dimly lit room, the curtains which were barely open, Tsuna was being violated once again. This time though the skylark was being less rough, not holding him down at all, but it was still pretty harsh. He slammed into him and the brunette's back arched off the bed. "Ahh!" Involuntary he gripped the older boy tighter, seemingly trying to keep him inside while he pulled back only to thrust in again.<p>

"Herbivore…" Tsuna's eyes widened as his hips were suddenly yanked up, meeting Hibari's halfway. The penetration was deeper now and he withered under the boy. Without warning, warm breath was hitting against his ear. "Such a slut, Tsuna." Hearing his name came from Hibari's mouth always made this experience better so he tried to get him to say it again. After many times performing this act he had enough practice to know how to let his partner feel more pleasure. Pleasure for the boy above him usually had him saying his name, so his next actions were understandable for someone who wanted to make this deed bearable.

The brunette spread his legs wider and hooked his ankles behind Hibari, like he'd been taught, and pulled him towards him. "Hah..ngg.." Breathing hard, he felt one of the hands holding his hips move to slide down his thigh. From the tight hold he'd had on him though he was sure to have a handprint like bruise on his hips. The other hand hadn't moved at all so it would be darker on that side. His efforts were rewarded in the end when the hand went back to where it was before.

Hibari thrust inside the smaller child one last time, going as deep as he could, and moaned out his name as he climaxed, "_Tsuna_." Shuddering as the wetness filled him the brunette let all restraint leave him and released along with the skylark. Just as they finished thought the door opened, them both having forgotten to lock it. Hibari jumped him suddenly earlier, when the sun hadn't even risen yet, and he'd just snuck back in after going to the tower. Locking the door hadn't meant much to him when he was trying to get here before the other boy woke up and found him gone.

Lampo, after much thinking, went to Hibari's room to look for him. This time of day the boy was just waking up. That's why Tsuna went back before the sun came up. It didn't bother him either way since he woke then also and started any work Giotto assigned him for the day. All the guardians woke early and if they were lucky went to bed early to. The maids did most of the caretaking for the children. It saddened Giotto that it had to be this way, but they didn't have all the time in the world to play around, after all they were Mafia.

The thunder guardian was betting that Hibari would still be in his room with Tsuna since even after they were both awake the two usually stayed in the bedroom for a few extra hours. The kids must find some way to amuse themselves in there.

Yawning, he strolled towards the door, wondering what the violent boy might do to him for coming. Knocking would only let him know he was there and the brat would have more time to grab something to hit him with. So he decided not to chance it and just walk in if the door was unlocked. Later he'd have mixed feelings from opening that door. Glad that he found out so he would be able to stop it and not having wanted to see it at all.

When the door swung open Lampo saw Hibari leaning over Tsuna, the blankets hiding most of their bodies. His first reaction was to wonder what the heck they were doing until he noticed the finer details. Their heavy breathing, sweat covering them and the completely blissful expression on Hibari's face gave him enough information to figure it out. It also helped that the blankets slid off a bit, revealing the brunette's unclothed frame and the skylark pressed tightly in-between his legs, only pants on him. Right then the boy's whole face changed and he knew he'd noticed his presence.

Turning his head, Hibari got a look at the gutsy intruder and nearly snickered. It was only Lampo and he could easily be dealt with later if he tried to call them disgusting like that driver did, but right now Tsuna was the most important. The brunette, still shivering under him in pleasure, had yet to realize there was an interloper. He never would if he could help it. Pulling the blanket over them, he blocked the green-haired teen from the boy's sight.

It didn't take long for Lampo to realize something of vital importance: Hibari was still inside Tsuna. When the skylark moved to grab the blanket, which now prevented him from seeing the brunette, the child under him flinched and spread his legs wider, trying to accommodate the movement. After that realization he shouted, "Stop this right now, Hibari!" There was no way to call him a brat as he was doing something so adult, it didn't seem right.

Hibari glanced over at Lampo, giving him one of the dirtiest looks he'd ever seen, but Tsuna went wild underneath the other child. He remembered the driver's reaction from long ago, he had no wish for Lampo to give him the same look he did. The teen was one of the few grown-ups that he felt completely comfortable around. Why, oh why did he have to see him like this, in a much worse position than the driver had seen?

The older child seemed to have been pissed off at the order Lampo dared to give him and pulled out of Tsuna. After quickly zipping up his pants his tonfas were in his hands, having come out of nowhere again, and he had plans to beat the thunder guardian up. Seeing this Lampo got ready for battle also, sparks flying off him. Hibari backed up a bit, he never saw this before, but quickly regained his composer and charged at the teen. Lampo did the same, wanting to kill him.

* * *

><p>G banged on Hayato's door, pleased to have the chance of waking him up rudely at this odd hour. It took a while, but soon the brat stomped to the door and swung it open. The first generation storm guardian expected to see the kid in his pajamas, a grumpy expression on from being taken away from his sleep, yet when the door opened it was a different sight that met him.<p>

Hayato had a grumpy expression on alright, but he wasn't in his pajamas, nor did he appear sleepy. The boy held a washcloth in his hand, water dripping from it onto the carpet. Surprised, G angled his head to get a good look into the room. Well, he tried to anyway. Hayato closed the door a little bit so he couldn't see in easily. "What do you want, Pinky?" Not wanting to start a fight under these conditions, he didn't even try to respond to the insult.

"I came to tell you that we have a new family member. Come downstairs to meet your younger brother." There was a thump from inside the room and Hayato got all riled up, pushing the door in and rushing inside. G followed after him, wanting to see what the silver-haired child was trying to hide from him. What he saw was a bit shocking considering how Hayato hated everyone besides Tsuna.

Takeshi was laying half on the bed and half off, within Hayato's room. A basin of water was beside the boy and he was sweating profusely. "You idiot! Get back in bed; you can see the boy later." It didn't seem like he was pleased that he had to stay in bed, but after a couple seconds he laughed and agreed with his friend.

"Yup! Guess you're right, Hayato." So Takeshi let him help him get back on the bed, towering over the other boy as he did. "Thanks for taking care of me when I'm out of it like this." He only got a grunt as a reply, but that was enough for a wide smile to appear on his face. G stood there staring at the two as Hayato glared at him with all he had. His expression spoke loud and clear, if he spoke of this the boy would find some way to sneak his bombs into his food so he would have a nice bloody death.

Well, that didn't bother G in the least. He couldn't wait until they were all gathered in the sitting room. Telling this tale then would have the best affect. Hayato could probably see what he was thinking from his smirk, but that didn't matter. Everybody had to hear how mean little Hayato had a big soft spot for Takeshi. The other boy knew it to and used it to the maximum. Strange as the brat didn't appear manipulative at all, just goes to show you not to judge a book by its cover.

The two storm guardians, though one did not know this yet, were staring each other down when they heard the shouting. Lampo being loud was rare, it was definitely his voice though, but it was even rarer, no, unimaginable for him to be yelling at Hibari. The kid could snap the teen right in half when he was being his usual lazy self, but by the sound of crackling that G heard he wasn't being his normal self.

It was an immediate reaction for the red-head to start running towards Hibari's room. If Lampo got serious and used his real strength on that kid there'd be nothing left of the boy to speak of. And if Tsuna was near…he ran faster hoping to stop any blast Lampo might shoot before it happens. What in the world had made the teen so angry that he'd actually attack someone that resembled Alaude anyway? The fear of the man should have been so instilled in him that he wouldn't even think about it.

Lampo grappled with Hibari, trying to keep any sparks he was shooting off in his rage from hitting the boy at the same time. After all he didn't want to kill him, oh no, that would be too good for him. He'd hand this menace over to Asari and have him do the slow mental torture that he was so good at. Knuckle could have a go at him to. All of them would want to, he was sure. Raping a young boy, especially Tsuna, could never be forgiven.

How long had this been going on anyway? This couldn't' have been the first time, Tsuna looked too used to it for that to be the case. No, this had been happening for quite a while. Why didn't any of them notice?! The skylark could have done many more awful things to the brunette that they didn't know about either. It would be just like the quiet, fearful child not to say anything to them. He felt horrible, though he'd come to him almost every night he just assumed it was nightmares scaring him. How stupid could he be!

Right then Hibari smacked Lampo in the jaw with his tonfa and victory flashed in his eyes. The teen took advantage of his vulnerability in the moment and finally pinned his tonfa wielding arms to the floor. With that threat taken care of he started to think of Tsuna and all the times he seemed off. He recalled the day the brat ran away and went home. Hibari had been there with him, right? He'd come back with bruises on his neck form his father choking him.

Lampo thought the size of the marks were weird, but since Tsuna's father had a history of beating him everyone automatically assumed it was him. Hibari was there though and had taken that man down. If he could do that why wouldn't he have protected his friend before the grip got tight enough to form a bruise? The one who left the mark could very well be the skylark. Glancing up at the kid's hands he did a mental measurement, figuring out that they were just the right size. This bastard!

Sparks began to fly more viciously, increasing with Lampo's rage. "How dare you hurt Tsuna like this!" Hibari was staring up at him with an incredulous look on his face, but he didn't let it stop him. If the boy was shocked at his strength then he couldn't do anything about that. Pinning his arms with one hand he raised the other planning to punch the kid. He'd always been more mature then the others, besides his impulse control, so the black-haired boy had never seemed like a child to him. That's why it was easy for him to raise his hand against a brat. Not just any hand either, but one encased in sparks.

Yet when Lampo brought it down to hit Hibari, little arms encircled his waist, trying to pull him back. Tsuna cried out begging him not to hurt the other child, "Stop! Please don't' hurt him, Lampo!" The tears could clearly be heard in his vice and it left the teen shaking, wondering what he should do. Hibari deserved anything he got from him, but the brunette shouldn't have to see his punishment. Tears began to seep through his shirt soaking part of the material while he decided his course of action.

Turning as best he could Lampo lowered his hand towards Tsuna, sparks fading. It would take a minute to be able to safely touch the boy, but he could wait. The door flew open then and with his sparking hand so close to the boy it looked like he was aiming to hurt him. G, the one who so rudely slammed open the door, saw this and rushed forward. The brat on his back squeaked then retreated quickly back to the bed to hide his nakedness, letting the teen be tackled.

G had run all the way here from Hayato's room and his efforts paid off when he was able to stop Lampo from hurting Tsuna. He was concentrating so hard on the thunder guardian that he didn't even realize that the kid who hid under the blankets was naked. "Lampo, you crazy son of a bitch!"

Now understand this, as lazy as the green-haired teen was he wouldn't have struggled against G for no reason and he wasn't planning to struggle at first. His plans changed though the moment he noticed Hibari get to his feet and grab his tonfa. Lampo tried to warn G as the skylark took aim, but for some reason no sound came out, maybe the weight from the storm guardian was crushing his lungs so much that it made him unable to speak.

Wrestling with G as best he could Lampo rolled them away right it time to avoid the tonfa. With the sound of the metal weapon making a dent in the floor his fellow guardian finally realized that Hibari was a real danger right now. Jumping up, G grabbed the boy and before the skylark knew he was laying on the ground, with an arm around his neck and a hand pressing into the small of his back. His tonfas were no longer in reaching distance and G growled, "What the heck is wrong with you two?" The sudden motion of his body and the movement of his mouth loosened the patch over his tattoo and it fell off without his knowledge. Luckily the tattooed side of his face wasn't showing towards the brunette.

Lampo sat up, glaring at Hibari as he did. "He raped Tsuna." The whole room seemed to freeze while G digested that information and the kids tried to figure out what the words meant. Tsuna felt like he heard the word previously and yet couldn't' remember. Yet another memory lapse, this was getting annoying. The silence suddenly broke when the rest of their assembled family ran in with Hayato and Takeshi leading the pack. Alaude was last since he only walked quickly.

"Damn you idiot, making me carry you all the way here." Hayato let go of the tall body in his arms and Takeshi fell back into the wall, leaning against it for support. He was biting his lip unable to laugh at his sickness right now. Behind them was Giotto, whose eyes were darting around the room, staying a little longer on Tsuna and Hibari as the horrible realization dawned on him. Lampo could finally understand why his boss sometimes said having hyper intuition wasn't all that great. There were things nobody ever wanted to know that only you could see with little to no information.

Giotto finished his examination with G, a pleading expression on his face. His right-hand man would be able to come up with some other explanation for the state of their attire, right? Unfortunately, the storm guardian only shook his head sadly, unable to give him the answer he was desperately wanted.

Switching his attention back to Tsuna the blonde walked over and wrapped his arms around the boy, holding him close. "I'm so sorry." Once again tears pooled in the child's eyes and he clutched the man's shirt rubbing his face on it. His wails could be heard all over the mansion and even not knowing what they were for the people in the room felt the sound pierce their hearts. There was no way to describe the relief and suffering that was heard in those cries. Whatever had happened within this chamber had left Tsuna's spirit bruised and battered.

Hibari could only stare at the boy in Giotto's arms, not recognizing him at all. Was this truly the same child that was underneath him just minutes before, moaning in pleasure? The hurt Tsuna was expressing tore his hear apart the most of all. This suffering he went through was his fault and he hadn't even known it. All this time he'd thought the brunette loved him, but he was just fooling himself. The only reason the boy stayed with him was because he was frightened. He believed he was different, not scared of him, but in the end he was like all the others. Too terrified to even show what he was feeling about the situation. The skylark's face went blanket, not allowing himself to feel anymore pain.

The other children in the room didn't know what to say and could only look on in confusion. Mukuro glared at Hibari and held Chrome close to him, covering her ears as the screams grew louder. Ryohei clenched his fist, staying put because he knew any help Tsuna could receive would come from Giotto. Hayato wanted to move forward and beat up whoever made the tenth cry, but Takeshi grabbed hold of him, keeping him close. In the end they didn't have to figure out how to deal with this since the butler walked in, holding Lambo in his arms.

All of their nails on the children's hands glowed, displaying every one of the colors. It was showing that all the Vongola ring wearers had met. The adults stared as the glow kept increasing and a wave of chilly wind blew into the room. Giotto held Tsuna closer, feeling an evil presence in the wind that shouldn't have existed. The shine from their fingers nails narrowed down to one color, different for each of them besides Mukuro and Chrome.

With the wind blowing harder it became so bothersome just to keep their clothes in the right place, that the first generation guardians did not notice as the glow moved down to the bottom of the kid's middle fingers and began to form a ring. Beside it there was another forming, an animal ring. Then the wind suddenly cut off and a burst of unfiltered memories exploded into their minds.

**There you have it, Lambo has come and given their memories back to them…or not. You'll have to find out later!**


	20. Tainted Memory

**Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman Reborn and its characters do not belong to me, they belong to Amano Akira**

**-Chapter Twenty-**

**Tainted Memory**

Tsuna stood in darkness, not being able to see even an inch away. There was no getting used to the blackness for his eyes. No matter how long he kept standing in this spot, if light did not come he would never see again. He felt abandoned, hadn't everyone been with him a few minutes earlier in Hibari's bedroom? The scene was embarrassing, but he'd much rather be there than here alone. Almost like it heard his thoughts a orange burst of light appeared a couple feet in front of him.

Seven more lights lit up, all different colors, though there was two indigos, beside the orange one. This was when the brunette realized he wasn't alone. The children were standing side by side, a light opposite each of them. Harsh glow fading, the light shaped into human form until what stood before them was nothing but a transparent figure. Probably the very definition of what a ghost was. None of them were the same person, but did have a few similarities to the person they appeared for. One example is that, except for his own, everyone's ghost matched their gender.

The girl looking back at Tsuna was just his size and he noticed the others possessed the same height and built of his friends. Slowly, the girl approached him, the lavender colored boy at her side trying to keep her back. She smacked his hand away and came up to him anyway though. Having no other choice, the boy reluctantly followed. Hibari, who was next to him, huddled closer and yet tried not to get too close, the pain of rejection still in the forefront of his mind. Why couldn't he leave the other child alone even after finding out he hadn't liked him in the least?

The lavender boy dragged his eyes from the female he had been staring at and answered his unspoken question, "Because he is your sky." Hibari's head snapped up, tearing his own eyes from the brunette he was in love with. Everyone was now paying attention to the spirit before him, listening carefully. When he said nothing and they were about to start ignoring him in favor of more interesting things, he spoke. "We came here to thank you."

There was a cough from another ghost and Tsuna's giggled, taking the boy's place for spokesman. "_Most_ of us came to thank you." She went back to looking at Tsuna intently. "Someone appeared before us when we were yet to be born and took the lives that were supposed to be ours. The lives you have now are a harsher version of the ones we were going to live." No one understood what she was saying, but she continued on anyway. "If it had not been for that, none of us would have met."

Her arm snaked around the boy beside her and snuggled into his shoulder. "Thank you for this chance." The other spirit children nodded in agreement and the image of them started to become distorted. A thin sheet of blankness had crept over them, diming the light they gave off. The kids began to panic, but the girl's smooth advice she gave Tsuna calmed them slightly. "Don't believe what you see!" And then the darkness rolled over them completely, leaving the tenth generation without their vision once again.

Tsuna felt arms around him and heard voices shouting. Turning he saw a narrow beam of light far away, the woman with the pacifier around her neck standing beside it. She seemed to be urging him to come towards her, away from the darkness and back to Giotto who he could now see holding his limp body in his arms. He took a step forward, glanced around to see if the others would follow, but saw no one. He heard the woman scream, "NO!"

Suddenly there was a pull on the back of the brunette's shirt and he flew back several feet into the shadows, the woman disappearing along with his escape. Once again he was blinded by the blackness. The feeling of Giotto's arms wrapped around him completely faded, leaving him with a sort of empty feeling. Tired as he was, he let go of his hold on reality and waited to die here all alone. Except that's not what happened.

Colors started to go wild under his eyelids, forming picture after picture. The visions made a movie of the life of a useless boy, that was him, and it was a pretty horrible life until a man named Ernesto became his tutor. He was nice and helped him make friends, but something seemed lacking to him. He couldn't pinpoint it though. It came as a dreadful surprise when his 'friends' revealed themselves as mafia members. They tried to pull him into their world, but Ernesto defended him.

Tsuna's tutor tried so hard to save him and scarified himself in the process. Ernesto was no match against the flames Gokudera shot out at him. He ran away, not wanting to waste his tutor's gift by getting killed also. After this incident he swore revenge and trained hard. It was as he invaded the house his friends lived in and pretended to be their comrade that his eyes fluttered open. His mind adjusted to the new memories, everything else dimmed in comparison to the revenge he now sought. Sitting up he planned to refill his mission.

* * *

><p>The tenth generation guardians watched the last ghost disappear and the last bit of light instantly followed it. Hayato reached passed Hibari, sleeve brushing against the bastards' back, and tried to grab Tsuna, but he was no longer there. His hand reflexively took hold of Yamamoto's arm and a wave of relief hit him as he reassured himself that he wasn't alone. Still the tenth vanished and that would have worried him if this place didn't have such an awful atmosphere. If Tsuna couldn't be found here then he should be with those grown-ups and as loathed as he was to admit it the child would be safe with them.<p>

Everyone except the brunette was here. Hayato could tell because of all the bumping into each other they did. He took note of several things as they moved around. First, Ryohei had the fucking hardest body he has ever had the displeasure to run into, worse than Yamamoto's even, and if you ran into him it felt like you were hitting a truck. Second, Mukuro's face has the scariest close-up ever, with that strange grin of his and everything, but he has some surprisingly pretty eyes when you get passed the kanji in one of them.

Third, running into a tonfa when you aren't expecting it hurts like a bitch and Hibari won't believe you did it on accident. Overall, what can be learned is that the bastard had a fucking worse than nasty temper when already frustrated and he can kick somebody's ass without needing to see them. Fourth and probably the best life lesson he'll ever get, if you lift up a girl's skirt, even if you don't mean to do it and it's just the wind from the force of your body falling, she'll still get mad. Note to self, Chrome doesn't look like much, but she knows where to aim her trident.

Last, but not least, Yamamoto takes advantage of every fucking situation he can. From the beginning he's been hanging onto him speaking of his sickness that is making him oh so weak. He didn't even let go when he was being beaten, though he tried to stop Hibari for a little while. He realized quite quickly that he wasn't able to hit him and conserved his energy instead. Now the idiot was sitting cross-legged by his floored body. He could tell because he hadn't let go of him yet, scared that he might go away like Tsuna.

Then someone finally came up with a plan of action. "Don't move, but if you have to please speak so everyone knows where you are." Chrome's voice clearly broke through the darkness and by the sound of the ragged breathing everybody expressed as they agreed Hayato wasn't the only one who had a bad experience in this hellhole. A few minutes passed without anyone speaking and again Chrome was the first to break the silence, even if she only meant to speak to Mukuro. "So what do we do now, Mukuro-nii?"

Ryohei, shockingly, was the first to realize the potential problem with Chrome's words, though he wasn't viewing it as a point of concern. "Mukuro is extremely going to guide us again? I'll extremely go over and plan with you now." So he started to count the steps he took loudly. It was when he reached his eighth step that the crying started. The noise of a wailing baby reached their ears and before they could say anything Ryohei yelled, "I swear I didn't extremely step on the poor guy! It was just a near miss."

Hayato was about to shout at him to shut the fucking brat up, but didn't get the chance to. A woman with a pacifier around her neck appeared, hands on hips. "So you _are_ all here. Lambo's supposed to be loud so I didn't realize, sorry." Suddenly, the whole area was bright with light in every corner. "That man left so I have control again." The place they were in consisted of absolutely nothing. The walls were pure white and in reality didn't resemble walls at all. There was just a big white plain as far as the eye could see.

Hibari did a quick scan of the area, making sure that his assumption that Tsuna wasn't here was true, and then went for the woman's throat. The children observed, amazed as she blew the skylark away with just a flick of her hand. "Here you cannot touch me. This is the place I created for you. A safe haven for your souls, but it's still mine." Standing up from where he was thrown he glared at her fiercely. "Now don't get mad, I'm here to give you back lost memories."

Ryohei, who now had Lambo in his arms, opened his mouth to question this and was immediately told to shut up by several people in many different ways. The children stared at the woman, transfixed by her words. She chuckled lightly at noticing this and went on, describing everything vaguely. Her words would make sense only to the real tenth generation when they got their memories back. If this didn't work she didn't want guardians with memories tinted by Ernesto to know her plans.

Tsuna was already lost to them, the blank canvas of consciousness she'd made for him written on with lies. Aria's hand came up caressing the whiteness in front of her. The guardians' minds hadn't been toyed with and she thought she know why. When she made these places in each of the tenth generation's heads it surprised her that Tsuna's was the most active. At least it had been when he was alive.

The Vongola Decimo spent many hours just recalling the past and looking back on it with fondness. That's why his mind was the hardest to trick and because of that most of her flames went into constructing the brunette. A big portion of the rest formed the time portal she was going to shoot them through. The guardian with the smallest amount of flame used on them had been Lambo since he didn't have as much memories to tapper with. The effects of the amount of power used were obvious.

Tsuna's mind was easily overcome by Ernesto and so was the time portal. Lambo on the other end of the spectrum wasn't toyed with at all. He'd shown up quickly after his birth, unlike the older children who had to go through painful experiences before finally reaching here. Ernesto could only manipulate her flame to do something different than what she had originally intended. The man couldn't put any of his own power into what she already created and it seemed the guardians didn't have enough of her flame in them for another false memory swap.

Since it was Aria's sky flames though she had much more control over them. She would use the last of her power present in the guardians to show them the truth. Another way back to the future had already been set up so they had a chance still. "Free your sky from its shackles, show it that its weather is still fair before it collapses over your heads. Present it your usual gifts and fix the first's stability. After that everything will return to the way it once was."

Hayato scratched his head, confused by the hidden riddle. Sky? What in the world did the sky have to do with this? Nothing of what she'd said made sense to any of them. Not like Hibari care though, being told he shouldn't attack just made him want to do it more. The skylark charged at her, tonfas aiming at a vital spot. She flicked him off again and looked down on him.

Orange flames burst out of the woman and she stared into Hibari's grey eyes. "Remember and save him." The sentence echoed in the boy's head and he couldn't look away from the woman. With unfathomable speed she was turned to ashes as the skylark watched, unable to move. The other children stood there, mouth gaping open, and it only got worse as their shock increased. The smock from her body hit the invisible walls and images seeped onto the blankness, filling it.

Hayato, who'd kept his hand on Takeshi through this whole ordeal, felt a sudden pressure on his hand, pushing it away. Looking over, expecting to see the taller boy touching him, he saw a nearly transparent wall surrounding his arm. There was a hole in it where his arm was poking out, right at his elbow to. That wasn't where he was feeling the most pressure though, so he brought his eyes to his wrist where the pressure was.

There, just like at Hayato's elbow, a transparent wall cut into him. This time instead of the rest of the box being around him, liked he's notice from before, it enclosed Takeshi. Alarmed, he pulled his arm back, finally letting go of the other child, and turned around in his limited space to see everyone else. Just as he thought, they were also in the same predicament as them.

Once the silver-haired boy moved his arm and the last box closed the images from the walls rushed to the ones around them. During the switch of surfaces the pictures went back to being smoke, but this time it was different colors. The beautiful hues bumped into each other on occasions, seeming to have a specific target it wanted. When this happened sparks flew and with certain colors explosions went off. The biggest one happening when indigo and lavender hit each other, red following a few seconds after. That one nearly blinded them with its brilliance!

Soon though the colors finally found their place and hit the boxes that surrounded the children. The first cage hit was Chrome's and she fell down, screaming in pain. Her hands clutched her head as Mukuro slammed his body into the walls around him. The contact with the surface had the rest of the indigo, that wasn't on Chrome's, shooting towards him. Hayato quickly withdrew his hands that had been about to touch his own box.

Ryohei and Takeshi didn't seem to get the picture though, stupidly touching the cage around them. They were quickly in pain also; each person that had smoke hit their surroundings whimpering in agony. Lambo, who Ryohei had to put down when the walls tried to tear them apart, cried loudly since the green smoke found its way around him. Hearing the baby's wails broke Hayato's last string of sanity and he smashed into his box, similar to the way Mukuro did.

The last one left was Hibari, but not e because the lavender smoke had yet to find him. No, it was actually the first to know where its target was, but it didn't touch the skylark's prison yet. The smoke just stayed in front of it, like it was staring him down. Hibari didn't remove his gaze from it, knowing what a predator looked like when it was waiting for a vulnerable moment.

Well, it would have to wait a long while since Hibari wasn't letting his guard down. Each time the smoke floated even a centimeter closer he growled and it moved back to its original spot. The screams of the others posed a distraction, but he wouldn't take the bait to look away. He had every intention of surviving and by the sound of the ear-shattering screams being let out, the smoke brought pain. All the suffering of this degree he'd seen ended in death or bed rest for a few weeks or more.

Hibari was usually ok with taking risks, as reckless and confident as he was, but he had no time for an injury. He had to find Tsuna soon. When the herbivore wasn't in his line of sight and he didn't know where he was, he got anxious. That feeling never sat well with him, how some people were ok with it he didn't know. Handling emotions was obviously not his strong point.

Gazing at the smoke cloud the woman's words came back to the boy. _Remember and save him._ Had she been talking about Tsuna and if she was, what did he need to remember? Were those the words of someone going to unleash a deadly weapon? Honestly he didn't know, but nothing would come of this stalemate. So, with this in mind, he reached out and touched the transparent wall, inviting the cloud over. Immediately it shot towards him, having only been waiting for his permission.

The second the smoke hit the barrier Hibari's head felt like it was splitting open. Images began to spread across the surface of the wall, one by one going into his head and becoming part of him again. He didn't scream though, the pain meaning close to nothing to him while he watched the scenes play out in front of him. In them he saw himself slowly evolve into a heartless demon, something he was quite proud of himself for. Though there were some truly lonely times, those which he wouldn't acknowledge, biting herbivores to death was amusing. The consequences of his actions were that even when he wasn't trying to scare someone, they ran away.

Old people Hibari never bit to death and animals were the only ones not frightened to come close to him. Several images showed him biting would-be-muggers to death and chasing down cars that nearly ran over the older generations of Namimori. A hero hidden in the shadows, the saying was familiar and he'd find out why later in the visions. Really the only huge change in his life happened when he was in middle school. That's when he met Sawada Tsunayoshi, the loser of even herbivores.

At first the boy was just a rare adorable male herbivore. Even if he showed Hibari those big doe eyes of his he still got bitten when he caused trouble, which wasn't that often actually. He still had enough survival instincts to know not to break the school rules and upset the head perfect. The only problem was his lack of attention, but at the time the skylark had bigger and better things to do than bite a school-skipper to death. An example was around this time he was putting the principle in his place again, him having tried to go against him.

Yet everything changed when that baby appeared and Sawada Tsunayoshi started to become a troublesome herbivore. He had the guts to even break the school building at times. So along with his dramatic increase in friends his frequency of getting bitten to death went up. It was quite amusing how he tried to escape from Hibari Kyoya. That feat was impossible even for a bigger and better herbivore, but it was still enticing to watch him struggle.

Hibari always thought he'd be on top, that no one could beat him, but because of Sawada bringing the mafia to Namimori he learned that the world is a big place. There were others out there stronger than him and he just couldn't stand that, no one should be stronger than _Hibari Kyoya_. The only reason he kept the cloud ring given to him was tied to that thought. Keeping possession of the ring brought satisfying opponents and gave him quick access to things he needed. Traveling around the world was simple with that ring.

The duties which came with the piece of jewelry weren't as welcomed though. Hibari didn't like the crowding Tsuna's little mafia group made, but by being patient he watched Yamamoto Takeshi show his true colors and the loser of all herbivores grow an impression set of fangs. It took quite a bit for him to flash them at anyone; threating his life didn't even work most of the time. After he kept that cloud ring he'd been shocked to find respect in him for the brunette.

As time passed Hibari found his feelings for the herbivore growing from respect into something more. Emotions made people weak so he had no plans to express his liking for the herbivore. Well, that was until he just couldn't take it anymore and decided to get rid of his source of stress. That had been Tsuna's last year in middle school and the last all-out fight between them that didn't end in a tie or a loss for the skylark. Once he had the other teenager pinned beneath him, tonfa raised and ready to crack his skull open, his body wanted something else entirely.

There was just no way for Hibari to kill the cute herbivore who was staring up at him, with those big brown eyes, in defeat. So his body, reacting on basic instinct, tried to satisfy his sexual desire. Surprisingly, Tsuna reacted pleasantly to the idea, showing him a love neither of them knew he had. Their relationship after that wasn't all sunshine and unicorns. No, arguments broke out on many occasions. Really, that should be expected considering how polar opposite their personalities were. Break-ups were common and during those times were when most of the famiglia discovered their connection was more than just an ordinary boss-subordinate relationship.

The only tow that hand' found out this way were Reborn and Nana. Reborn, since he was Reborn, practically knew the minute it happened and Nana happened to see them in a very awkward position. Tsuna wouldn't let him touch him for a whole month and a half. He'd go on and on in a very traumatized voice, "My mom…my mom saw." Normally he'd burst out in tears and that wasn't a turn-on for the cloud guardian so he left him be.

Still though, even after break-up after horrible break-up the two got back together. This is how the years went by, with them arguing, making up and protecting the Vongola along the way. Other memorable things happened also, but the ten-year-old child seeing all this could only focus on the brunette, finally figuring out who the man in his visions was. That the life he knew this whole time had been fabricated, that someone had killed Tsuna, and those things just pissed him off.

When the final image passed through Hibari's mind his sight was returned to him. The walls around him, with the pictures on them, wilted away into nothing and he saw the same happen to the others. Mukuro was the closest to him and with both life's memories mixed his hatred for the pineapple had only increased. He couldn't let himself be disturbed though and went straight for Gokudera, the one with the most supernatural knowledge in the area.

Hibari's muscles screamed at him to stop this nonsense and rest, but he'd never been one to listen to it. He kept moving until he storm guardian, who lay groaning in pain on the floor, was in front of him. "Gokudera Hayato." The silver-haired child looked up at him, it felt so weird to see him this young, and made an enraged face even in as much pain as he was. Paying no mind to it, he continued, "Get me back to that mansion, Herbivore."

Gokudera, after years of training, hadn't attacked Hibari in almost six months before they were shot to the past. It was part of Tsuna's patience improving program he'd assigned his right-hand man to work on. Since the child version of him didn't know about that agreement he was pretty sure his boss wouldn't count those, but what he did now was intentional. Pale shaking hands flew up and wrapped themselves around the skylark's neck, trying to choke the life out of him.

Unfortunately for the storm guardian, his hands were easily removed, but he didn't waste any time in attacking again. Yamamoto's arms went up to restrain his childish lover, assuming he was just having one of his usual tantrums, but the boy used him as a kick-off stand to send a drop-kick at the other male's head. The action knocked the wind out of his much smaller body than he was used to and he hit the floor without any effort on his lover's part. Thinking about how hard the older Hayato tried to get this same affect he started to laugh at their strange situation.

The others were also looking on with amusement, the pain amounting to nothing in their distraction. All humor left them with Gokudera's next words though. "What did you do to the Tenth?! He was naked under those blankets, wasn't he?!" By then the two were wresting on the ground, neither having their preferred weapon on them. "He's only a little kid in this world and you had sex with him! I can't believe, even if it is you, that you'd do something so disgusting. That's the one area I had faith in you in. I thought you had enough restraint in yourself not to hurt the tenth, you asexual freak!"

Hibari, who'd stopped struggling by then and took the beating, nearly laughed out loud at that. Considering the things he did in the future and past to Tsuna he was anything but asexual. Tsuna-sexual was what he was. No other had been able to get that sort of reaction out of him since he'd started dating the boy. The pounding of Gokudera's fists didn't halt nor slow as the guardians in the room processed what he'd just said. It didn't matter to the skylark if they all knew what he's done to Tsuna, he deserved any hit or words that were thrown at him after all.

Even if Hibari hadn't known better, he still raped Tsuna without any remorse. The younger him may have thought it love, but there were enough hints to show this wasn't so. He couldn't count how many times Tsuna cried out beneath him in what was most likely pain. To be truthful he was disgusted with himself. What did it matter if what he saw in this life made him misunderstand? He still hurt the herbivore. He used to kill people who even slightly upset the boy, let alone make him suffer. If the guardians kicked his ass it wouldn't bother him, no it would actually let him feel better about this whole incident.

Speaking of Tsuna, where was the boy? They needed to get back to him quickly, the uneasy feeling he had without him around was worse than normal at the moment. What if he did something weird with his memories back, he had no doubt that he would remember along with them, like telling the first generation who he really was? Of course they wouldn't believe him and maybe think he really was a spy if he started sprouting off information. This wouldn't end well for any of them if he did that, but he trusted the small version of Tsuna to not do anything that could endanger them. The child had turned into a great boss under Reborn's watchful eye in the end.

Suddenly, Gokudera was being held back by two set of hands and an illusionary vine. Yamamoto was holding his right side and Ryohei his left. Mukuro seemed disappointed that he stopped so it was Chrome, holding her trident close to her, who created the illusion. A chuckle with undertones of anger sounded in his ear. "We can't attack him, Hayato." The way he said it had the silver-haired child halting long enough to stare at him. Catching sight of the glint in the swordsman's eyes, he watched as the idiot raised his head from his ear and gazed coldly at the cloud. "No matter what Hibari is a fellow guardian and we need all of us to get out of here."

Gokudera, without realizing, let the tension in his body subside. Loath as he was to admit it, Yamamoto was correct. They needed the bastard's strength to break out from this prison. With his stress levels lowered his brain started to work properly again and Aria's, he knew that's who she was now, words came back to haunt him. _Free your sky from its shackles, show it that its weather is still fair before it collapses over your heads…_

The ridiculous riddle from before made sense when he understood what the sky and weather represented. Tsuna was in trouble and required their help. He was only concentrating on the first part of the sky being shackled though, so when he voiced his opinion of the riddle Chrome added to his theory while also only thinking about the part he mentioned. "Show it that its weather is still fair." Some of the guardians, who'd started to panic about the danger Tsuna might be in, stopped arguing among themselves to listen to her. Chrome didn't speak often, a habit from her days of being nothing more than a vessel, but when she did, it always seemed important. So they shut their traps and listened to the sole female guardian.

"Do you think it is possible that Boss doesn't trust us anymore?" Gokudera wanted to scoff at the girl's worries, but Yamamoto seemed to be seriously considering them. One thing he'd found out over the years of almost constant contact with the moron he knew, at the times when he got serous, it was simpler to just remain silent. Chrome, seeing this as her only chance, spoke quietly, but surely. "The weather means us, so having to show we are fair, or good, means Boss does not already think we are."

Ryohei, not completely following, but getting the basic concept, spoke up. "So, Sawada's been extremely brainwashed?" His hand went up to scratch his head in a confused manner and that's when he realized the baby had climbed up onto his back somehow. He'd accidently touched the infant's hair and felt the trembling of the boy's frame. Prying him off the back of his shirt he stared at him closely. "Lambo?" Several heads swung his way, no one having been paying attention to his earlier words.

The baby reached his tiny hand out, so Ryohei let him take hold of one of his fingers. The grab was absurdly cute and weak, but in seconds the idea that the baby was Lambo was confirmed. "Of course it's me. Who else could be this adorable?" Gokudera took a step forward to settle this matter, now that the cow was older in the future their fights had gotten more thrilling, but less satisfying. The brat could defend himself well enough now and so the beating he got was less than what it used to be.

Yamamoto got his hands on him quickly, not wanting to chance it with Gokudera's target so close to them since Ryohei hadn't moved far after letting go of the silver-haired child. "Calm down he is only a baby right now. It would be wrong." Although Lambo sounded and looked a bit like the fifteen year old that he really was, his body didn't have the strength to move the way he would prefer. Actually, now that he thought about it, considering the age he was supposed to be, the length of his hair didn't make much sense.

Gokudera also noticed this and curiosity cooled his temper long enough for him to ask about it. "Oh, I realized I was pretty much bald and thought about my hair. It just appeared." With this new information Yamamoto decided to try it out himself. In seconds he'd shot up to his future body's height and with a little more thoughts he finally appeared like the man he was, minus his usual scar. "Haha, you are really small, Hayato." Growling, the child decided to use the suddenness of the growth rate to his advantage and put his fist in the air.

Yamamoto didn't realize what he was doing until, along with his height, the rest of Gokudera's body went up and the fist hit against his jaw. It wasn't a hard hit since in the middle of the growth his lover was nice enough to move it before he was lifted by the punch. All around them the guardians were turning back into their real forms. Chrome shivered once Hibari go big, not having remembered how sharp his eyes usually were.

Mukuro saw this and put his arm around the girl to comfort her, his big brother habits formed here probably never going to go away. "Since Aria said this place is something she created it is more or less a dream world. Like when I use illusions, we can shape things here. This must be an area that joins our minds." By the way Hibari's glare intensified it was obvious he still hadn't gotten over his hatred for illusions. "It isn't an illusion, just something similar." He honestly didn't want to make the skylark feel better, but they had to behave like adults to get out of this.

"Doesn't that mean we should have gone back to our bodies then? If this place's purpose was to return the memories we lost, it has accomplished its mission." After saying this Gokudera quickly manifested a cigarette, anxious from his own thoughts.

The male mist guardian answered as truthfully as possible, "I think you're right." No matter how much he despised doing so. "The cause of our prolonged stay is probably that." He pointed one long elegant finger to a corner in the room that held a tint of a darker color than the rest. "This place is tainted. Someone is keeping us here on purpose." Out of everyone Gokudera had the worst reaction to this. He started to howl, quite epically, in rage. As Hibari expressed his desire for the hound to be quite by taking out his tonfa, the other guardians stepped in to stop the fight, no one thinking about the second part of the riddle.

…_fix the first's stability._

* * *

><p>While the tenth generation plotted their escape, Giotto and his guardians were panicking over their comatose bodies. After having no luck waking Tsuna, the blonde boss gently set him down on the bed and joined the others. G had already come back from alerting the nearest medic team in the mansion, not having waited for them before coming back. All the children had fallen into unconsciousness at the same time and that alone was frightening, but one of them had a more serious condition.<p>

The baby they'd just taken in stopped breathing during his fainting spell. Knuckle, giving him mouth-to-mouth, was the only thing keeping him alive. It was a hard job to, the infant's lungs were unable to hold the same amount of air his sun guardian could, so the priest needed to be extra careful in what he did. He couldn't press down on Lambo's chest as much as he could with an adult either, his ribs fragile. Everything had to be done extremely gently, but even then baby's that stopped breathing didn't usually live very long.

Soon, just like Giotto feared, Knuckle stopped all movement and shook his head. "I can't do anything more…he's gone." Right as he said this the medic team burst through the door, took the scene in and went straight for Lambo. Yet, a split second before they touched him, his little chest rose and fell. Stopping at the sudden sign of life they stared and stared. Though Giotto couldn't take his eyes off Knuckle's astonished expression.

After spending these last couple of years with the priest, never had Vongola Primo seen the man give up on someone who'd breathed again. If Knuckle was unable to help then no one would be able to. He couldn't say that he wasn't happy with the infant surviving this odd ordeal, but that's just what it was, odd. Strangeness like this always meant something bigger than them was unfolding. The only other time an event his weird took place it was the day they'd obtained the Vongola rings from Talbot.

To mess with such an unexplored power, such as the rings upon their fingers, was deadly and unheard of. First off, before Giotto made any rash decisions, he would have to talk to the inventor. Until then they would just have to keep the children safe from anything that was out to get them and hope that is wasn't his fault for getting the kids involved in this awful underground world. Which he was sure, was the case here.

Picking up Tsuna, Primo watched as Alaude gave Hibari a look of distain, but took him into his arms anyway. That was another thing they'd have to handle when the kids woke, the punishment to give the skylark for raping the brunette. What if it wasn't non-consensual though? And how did children their age even know what sex was? Maybe this was why Hibari was so temperamental. If he'd been exposed to indecent activities when young he would be the same way.

Tsuna didn't seem to have that knowledge, if he had Giotto was sure he wouldn't have gotten so close to adult men. That thought got him thinking about other aspects of this horrible crime, they were both boys. That made Hibari's sexual orientation known. Usually people went through the whole figuring it out stage, the brat was lucky he didn't need to think about that. His own experiences during that period of time were the worst of his whole life.

…Wait, could this mess be Alaude's and Giotto's fault? They could have been the exposers the black-haired boy witnessed. If this was their fault then he wasn't anywhere near being a fit parent! How could he keep the kids around with this knowledge? He'd ruin their lives just as he did his own, and that was not a pleasant thought. Now he would actually have to talk to Alaude about this.

Once all the children were in the infirmary, Tsuna and Hibari in the beds farthest apart, the first generation sat down to wait their sleep out. The medics already told them there was nothing wrong with them and they could wake up at any time. As the minutes and hours ticked by on the infirmary clock the guardians left one by one. Their duties wouldn't finish themselves and it was still early.

The last to leave the room were Giotto and G, the storm guardian having to talk his boss into it. There was a whole room of paperwork waiting and being here wouldn't make them wake any faster. It took a little while to get him to leave, but after the threat of having double the amount of paperwork tomorrow Primo left pretty easily. As G closed the door behind them, he shot one last look back at Hayato and Tsuna.

A second after the door was shut the brunette's eyes snapped open, having been conscious since he left the dark place. He kept his eyes closed because he wanted to be alone with his 'friends.' Starting to get up, he saw a sharp scalpel on a rolling cart not too far away. It would be the perfect weapon for their demise. He almost got completely off the bed as he reached for the scalpel before an orange light came into being right in front of him.

Shocked, Tsuna pulled his hand back and fell onto the bed. The light moved around a bit and then solidified to form a woman. It was the same person that had shown him the light earlier, who had seemed like a good person. That aside, at the moment she didn't look pleased, a scowl upon her face. Unlike her he had a bewildered expression on his, wondering who she was and what she wanted with him. While he gazed at her a feeling akin to what he felt in the dark place came over him and slowly, he shut his eyes.

Aria watched the brunette stare up at her with confused eyes and she hoped she could use his ignorance of her to convince him not to hurt the guardians. To attack them while they were awake and alert was one thing, sleeping being an entirely other matter. During that time they wouldn't even be able to decide if they should fight with Tsuna or not. So she just stared and stared, waiting for him to get comfortable, but suddenly she saw a dark cloud take the boy into its mist. He closed his eyes; Aria realizing what was happing too late and only being able to curse her luck.

There was just no way to fight a force that didn't have a body to struggle against. All she could do was watch as the boy's memories were toyed with again. Once he opened his eyes they weren't confused anymore. No, instead he looked fierce. The look was a cute pout, but it hurt her heart to see him be like this. In the end there would be no choice in her actions and the Vongola's tenth generation's fate would lay in the hands of a certain arcobaleno in the future.

Tsuna, now knowing that this woman had a hand in his tutor's death and being weaponless, tried his best to head-butt Aria. When that didn't work, her having easily avoiding it, he raised his tiny fist hoping to inflict any damage at all. Without warning, his hand was caught in by her and she pushed him back onto the bed. He struggled viciously, but his efforts didn't get a satisfying result. His body remained pinned and she leaned down, putting her forehead against hers.

A bright light ensued and when Aria moved her head away Tsuna's eyes closed sleepily. "Fall asleep. You'll wake when your guardians do." For a little while she hovered over him, carefully observing his every feature. "Sorry I'm so powerless." The two of them stayed like that for a few minutes, until the door creaked open and Lampo wandered in sneakily. Aria disappeared as quickly as she could, but she heard him gasp and knew he saw her. He began to scream at the top of his lungs and she sighed. This wasn't a good sign at all.

**This chapter was meant to be posted on the 12****th**** for the one year anniversary of ****A Dozen Roses ****but, obviously that didn't happen. I actually thought I did post this, yet when I started to type the next chapter today I realized that wasn't true. So you'll get another one in a day or two, a holiday special.**


	21. Corrupted Sleep

**Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman Reborn and its characters do not belong to me, they belong to Amano Akira**

**-Chapter Twenty-one-**

**Corrupted Sleep**

Sunlight beaming into a lavishly furnished room, it hit a young man in the face. Attempting his best scowl, by scrunching up his features, he kept his eyes closed and rolled onto his side. The move relieved him of the harsh light and even put him closer to a body that spread warmth like a heater. Snuggling into the blissful heat he quickly fell asleep again. The winter weather had been harsh lately and at times the cold even penetrated the mansion walls. He couldn't complain though since the castle like place was incredibly well heated for its age, even if that was because of renovation. Soon, very soon, the mansion would need another layer of insulation put in.

Well, luckily Kyoya's room turned out to be quite the temperature paradise. It wasn't ever too cold or too warm, at least until your feet hit his bathroom floor. You'd think when the mansion was made Primo would think about his room a little more, but in fact it was the coldest one in the entire house. Still the brunette thanked the man regularly for that little fault. It gave him an excuse to crowd Kyoya's bed when the man himself wasn't here, which was quite often.

Last night, once Tsuna had already crawled into the absent skylark's bed, the ex-perfect appeared. It was nearly midnight when he arrived, silently as ever, the only thing alerting the Vongola boss to his presence being his hyper-intuition. Of course it didn't usually work with his cloud guardian now, unless he was angry. The instinct of self-preservation never wore off and he was glad about that. If it ever had he never would wake up to see what was bothering his lover.

Thankfully it did and the brunette awoke right away. Before Hibari had the door closed he was already sitting up with the blanket bunched up around him. Taking one look at him his cloud guardian growled a bit. Whenever there was any sign of his intuition Kyoya either reacted aggressively or aroused, though the latter was rare. These reactions frightened him a bit, but as they grew older it started to be kind of adorable. Although he liked to show hostility towards his strength he never outright attacked him for it.

Gazing at his lover as he undressed, Tsuna unconsciously licked his lips and bit down on them. Hibari's mission should have kept him away until New Year's so he shouldn't be here, but he undeniable was. For a split second the brunette let himself think that the skylark finished quickly so he could spend the holidays with him. Quickly, he shook his head to get rid of the treacherous thought. This was Hibari Kyoya here, and that man didn't care about herbivorous events, he'd told him clearly for many years now.

In the time in which Tsuna dated the ex-perfect they never spent one valentine together. Quite frankly once the two entered high school the frequency of their dates went down. By now, in a six month period, they would have no dates. It wasn't because they were too busy either. The brunette got breaks sometimes and Kyoya rested in-between hunting one box weapon to the next. Sometimes their vacations lined up perfectly to match their schedules. Still Kyoya didn't come back from his base in Japan to visit him. It was unusual for the skylark to come stay in the mansion with them.

So right then Tsuna didn't dare to remove his eyes from his lover, afraid this was all a dream and with one blink he'd disappear. He couldn't help but think this, even though his hyper-intuition was very real and the anger rolling off Kyoya wasn't anywhere near imaginable. In recent years he'd mellowed out a bit, but this cold silence without action definitely didn't seem like his usual cloud guardian. His style was to show he was angry by attacking, so far he hadn't done that.

Then, without warning Kyoya was leaning over the brunette, who'd he'd pressed into the mattress. It had been a few months since their last intimacy and Tsuna eagerly responded to the skylark's rough movements. His kisses were wonderful and oh, how he missed that taste! Still, even with it feeling this good, when Kyoya ripped his shirt off to get to his rapidly overheating skin he stopped him. He was sure that something was wrong now.

Kyoya never tore Tsuna's button up shirts anymore, not since the last time. Sick of having expensive clothes ruined he'd forced the skylark to find all of his buttons. It would have been easy to get a maid's help, but the black-haired man stubbornly refused to let anyone else into his rooms. To be truthful it wasn't like he was really forced to do it. Tsuna only rejected the idea of doing it himself and played on his lover's pride of having a neat space. If buttons were hidden under things it just wouldn't be right. To actually break his unspoken rule, of what shirts he could rip, he must be really upset.

So, with a certain gentleness, the brunette brought Kyoya, who'd frozen up after being stopped, down completely onto him. Making soothing sounds he clutched the older man's head to his shoulder, forcing him to stay in place. "I'm not a herbivore, Tsunayoshi."

"I never thought you were."

It was silent for a bit, and then Kyoya grabbed his hand and pried it off his head. "Your actions speak otherwise." He heard a quite chuckle come from his lover and he wondered where on earth the herbivore that used to shriek went. It didn't matter though; they had both grown up and become different people. The change occurred in their personalities, but not their feelings. Who Tsunayoshi became was just as attractive to him as the younger Sawada had been. He'd thought the same was true for the brunette, but if that letter was true he'd been wrong.

After that things got heated again and both forgot their original purpose of pausing to talk. Now that it was morning Tsuna started to regret that and the third round Kyoya persuaded him into. Staying snuggled close to him was the least his cloud guardian would do. Unfortunately he couldn't stay pressed up to him for long, duties calling, literally. His cellphone rang and he mentally cursed, hoping he'd saved all the important data on it somewhere else to. He was sure he had because living with terribly violent people usually made him cautious of anything that was important which could easily be broken.

It only took half a second for the ringing to decide the fate of his cellphone. With all the stuff that went down last night he wasn't surprised he'd forgotten to shut it off. Doing a quick calculation of distance in his head he knew better than to try to reach for the object. A few moments later his thought was proven to be the correct choice. If he had moved his hand to make a grab for it, said appendage would have been broken by the tonfa that came down onto the communication tool. Really he hoped the message wasn't important.

"Infuriating device." Tsuna gazed at the weapon, which barely missed his nose, with calm eyes. Kyoya, in turn, stared at him, the change in the herbivore that happened slowly, shockingly, contrasting to what he used to be. The mere sight of his tonfas, years ago, could almost leave him pissing his pants. Now even when he had a chance of getting hit, he didn't flinch, yet alone scream. The difference was disappointing, but more enchanting than not.

Getting out of bed in only plain boxers, unlike the ones from their middle school days, the Vongola boss picked up the pieces of his phone that were scattered about. Looking at the broken parts he threw them in the trashcan beside the bed and scratched the back of his head in frustration. "That was Reborn, probably wanting to know how the Christmas party is coming along." Although Kyoya knew that the cellphone was in such horrible shape that it couldn't have shown Reborn's name, he didn't question him. After all, who can argue with the power of Vongola blood?

* * *

><p>Tsuna, though he was exhausted from last night's activities, dragged the ornaments for the tree down from upstairs, placing the boxes in one of the living areas. The Christmas decorates having been right where he'd been told they were, it didn't take long to do this. Surprising, since it had been Reborn who told him where he could locate them. When he was being nice he knew he was up to something.<p>

Reborn, like always, was the reason for all the craziness that happened in the last few days. He'd sent all but two guardians away, which resulted in the very bed crazy incident that he'd rather not talk about, and forced him to organize a Christmas party on his own. Mukuro and Chrome, sadly, were not allowed to help so he couldn't understand why the demon left them here. Since it was the mists left behind he was pretty sure that Reborn had a hand in getting Kyoya to return.

Even after all these years the two still hated each other and Reborn still took advantage of it. He liked to see them fight and Tsuna had no idea why. Actually, he really would rather not know after all the horrible things that tended to happen when the baby tried to show him the reasons for the things he did. All he had to say about that was that Reborn's mind must be a terrifying place. Now like his other actions hadn't pointed to that conclusion though.

Gratefully, the brunette examined the tree that stood in the room. Some of the butlers found it for him in the forest and chopped it down. Luckily getting a tree was knocked off his to do list, taking one time consuming task away, but there was still a lot more to do. Rubbing his hands together he sighed, "Well, let's get started."

Almost an hour later the Decimo sat down to admire the decorated tree and Mukuro wandered in holding a cup of milk. Glancing over at him, the shorter man sunk lower in the chair and growled lightly, "If you spill that anywhere near that tree the maids won't get a chance to murder you for staining the carpet. I'll do it first." The male mist guardian put a hand up in surrender and leaned down a bit to put the cup on the mantle. "Get a coaster." It looked like he was debating with himself, wondering if he should listen or not, before he walked over and grabbed a coaster to put the cup on. "Good boy."

Once the milk was put in a favorable spot Mukuro went to the tree, touching it gently so not to piss Tsuna off any more than he already had. It could be considered one of the few smart things he did that day because the millisecond his fingertip came in contact with the tree, the brunette barked an order for him to stand back and not touch it. "Anything you go near seems to break lately, so don't you dare touch it more than you have to."

Before Tsuna knew it Mukuro was sitting beside him, taking a drink from his cup with one arm around his shoulders. For him to get here so fast he must have used an illusion. Snapping his head back to get a look at the Christmas tree he watched the illusion of his mist guardian fade. "Sorry, with your intuition failing you in your exhausted state I couldn't resist. This may be my last chance to trick you." The only thing he could think about as he half-listened to Mukuro's apology was that if it hadn't been the mist, but an enemy he could have easily gotten killed.

This time was the first that Tsuna ever le this guard down since he'd moved into the mafia mansion and the serious danger of what he had done were hitting him. Shaking slightly he brought his hand up to cover his mouth, holding back sickness. Being a mafia boss came with more risks than he was willing to take. One moment he could be alive and the next not. That was why when he stayed here with the ninth during a few vacations they always started their day out with hugs and well wishes. Even that scary mist guardian got in on it. Every day they woke to die. Yet if he had to decide…

Suddenly a tonfa shot passed Tsuna's face and Mukuro reflexively moved his arm. The weapon still hit him though, but didn't cause anywhere near the damage it would have if he hadn't moved. "Rokudo," the name came out of Hibari's mouth with more distain than usual, which the Vongola boss wouldn't have thought was possible if he hadn't heard it himself, "I'll bite you to death." Then the skylark charged at the mist who reciprocated his enthusiasm for battle.

Yet before either of them could get a hit in, the room's temperature rocketed down to the point where they swore they could see their breath. Turning slowly, they saw Tsuna who was smiling broadly. It was the smile that years of stressful situations made, the coping one which meant he was trying very hard not to bash their skulls in. It was just a smile, but Kyoya liked to call it his predator face, the one he showed before he went into fatality mode, which typically ended in death for any enemies within the general vicinity.

Sawada Tsunayoshi was a special type of herbivore, very similar to that stupid bucking horse in this way. A kind that grew fangs during appropriate times and then broke them off when finished. He was a loose cannon that only Reborn knew how to control fully. Jealousy burned in his chest, but the baby had taught Tsuna everything he knew so it was understandable. The man wouldn't have that omnivore side of himself if it wasn't for his tutor, really he should just let him have that exclusive knowledge.

"If you want to play games then go to the training room." Neither the mist nor the cloud wished to follow orders, but at that moment with Tsuna sitting in the chair as he was, they saw a little of Xanxus in him. And although the two would deny it to their graves it would be near impossible for them to beat someone like Xanxus all alone. If they tried the man would kick their asses, probably without even standing up. Well, he'd have to stand up because they were worthy opponents, but the mist and cloud would still most likely lose. With Tsuna in this type of mood it'd be the same way if they fought him.

So Mukuro and Hibari nodded, storming out of the room in different directions. Once they were gone the smile on Tsuna's face wilted and he tore off the tie around his neck. For a minute he sat there, letting the tension leave him and then he stood up, stretching. The party needed to be ready and organized before his other guardians got back, if it wasn't he'd have Reborn to answer to. That idea wasn't anywhere near pleasant, but it made him work hard throughout the rest of the week.

Surprisingly, in that week Mukuro and Hibari didn't fight. At least not that Tsuna knew of. In fact the two peacefully co-existing by deliberately avoiding places they thought the other would be at. Both stayed on different sides of the mansion, knowing if they caused trouble their punishment would be harsh. This didn't bother Mukuro much, but he'd rather not upset the brunette when there were so few medics about.

Hibari, for once in his life, was actually worried about the type of punishment he could get. A few months before he'd been wandering in the library and happened upon a diary of Vongola Primo's, Tsuna's ancestor. It was a punishment diary showing several methods of torture. One that really stuck out to him because of its silliness was a punishment called 'the pole' which was quite sadistic in its own way.

Since it was Primo who came up with this stuff he wondered if Tsuna could do the same. After all people kept saying how much they looked alike and the hyper-intuition that was rare among even those of Vongola blood. Frankly he just didn't want a crocodile trying to nibble on his dick like it tried to do to Alaude, the first cloud guardian. Giotto liked to write about how each session of each torture method went. From what he read he'd come to one conclusion: Primo was crazy. He really hoped Tsuna didn't turn out similar. It would have been better if he'd never read the diary.

This avoiding that went on left the mansion quiet for once, but the brunette would prefer it being noisy all week compared to what happened on the day the others would return. The sight that met Tsuna when he returned home from buying eggnog, was a destroyed living room, kitchen, and several other rooms which hadn't been too important for the party. Enraged he'd gone to find the mist and cloud guardian only to discover them still fighting, just in a different area of the mansion: Mukuro's.

From what the Decimo saw as he went he could tell that the fight started in one of the sitting rooms in Hibari's area. In other words Mukuro had come over to start this mess. He might have tried to end it to, by retreating, but the skylark followed. The path of destruction getting worse and worse as he went on, he found them in one of Gokudera's music rooms which held nothing except a piano. It was Hayato's favorite to. Fortunately, when he got there it was still in one piece. Unfortunately, a second after he'd opened the door he watched it burst into many uncountable pieces. Now how was he going to explain that to Reborn?! He could already here the 'control your guardians rant.'

After the piano was obliterated the two guardians charged at each other again, both going for the kill. Instantly Tsuna was between them, gloves on, but not lit. Though once his fingers made contact with his guardians' chest they flew backwards as if they'd been hit by a truck. Mukuro, being an illusionist, couldn't' handle regular battle all that well without being on the right path, which he hadn't been, so he didn't stop till he hit the wall. Hibari on the other hand leveled himself out enough that his feet hit the floor quick and skidded back. He came close to hitting the wall, but he got his balance right in time.

Lifting his head from staring at the floor the skylark looked like he was about to attack the mist again. Tsuna, seeing that Mukuro was a bit incapacitated at the moment, stood in front of the man to block Hibari. His lover growled back at him, "You're defending him?" Hearing Hibari's voice shot a tingle down his spine. It hadn't been that cold when he talked to him since middle school. This being the first Christmas they were spending close to each other it upset him that the man would act this way.

Hackles metaphorically raised Tsuna glared back, "Obviously I am." Saying this made him feel a little better since he knew Hibari hated sarcasm, especially when it was used against him. The effect of his words, as immediate as they were, disappeared fairly quickly. In the moment in which his reaction was apparent, he leaned forward, readying to pounce. Then suddenly his expression went blank and he straightened slightly. Before the Vongola boss could say anything though, his mist guardian pushed passed him with a smirk on his face.

"There you have it, Birdy. Tsuna made his choice." Hyper-intuition going wild the brunette's head snapped around to gaze at Mukuro, whatever he meant by that the consequences were going to be atrocious. Eyes flickering to his watch he calculated the other guardians' arrival time to be in two and a half hours. If he started now everything would be back in order within that time frame. Sadly, these two guardians of his didn't seem eager to help him with that goal. In the second it took to glance at his watch then back to Mukuro all hell broke loose.

Hibari, in all of his animalistic glory, dived for the male mist guardian's throat, looking for all intents and purposes, like he really was about to bite Mukuro to death. Teeth bared with a snarl he'd released Roll, who also seemed all business today. The hedgehog already wans't his normal size, he was bigger, as he was in battle. The other two men in the room were seeing, for the first time in their Vongola mafia years, the skylark lose complete control. Tsuna had heard of what his lover could act like when enraged, he'd seen the repercussions of it on famiglias he'd sent his cloud guardian on for the quick betrayal they displayed when he took over.

Always, Tsuna was amazed and sickened by the destruction left in Hibari's wake when he found something in the other famiglias mansion that angered him. Not once had he seen the man in this state, but the damage it could entitle was well-known. A serious Hibari might even be unstoppable for Tsuna, and Mukuro seemed to acknowledge the danger from the way he backed up the tiniest bit. He avoided every hit, now wanting to take the chance of breaking something important.

Tsuna, struck by the strange beauty of this vicious man, could not move from where he stood, only able to watch. Mukuro quickly amended this, grabbing his arm to yank him into Hibari's path. "Reborn lied, and as much as I'd like to stay I have plans to meet Chrome soon. Bye bye!" Waving his gloved hand he disappeared right as Hibari dove for him again, growling while he did so. Instead of wringing Mukuro's neck like he'd planned, he went through the mist and crashed into the couch.

By this time the brunette's x-gloves were mittens and he was standing in the middle of the room, mouth agape. Slowly, the realization of how much damage control he would have to do in the two hours he had left dawned on him. The suddenness of the rage that hit him made him forget every survival instinct he once had and he walked right up to the skylark. His finger was pointing into the other man's chest before he knew it. "Damn it! Kyoya, I have had enou-"

Soft lips were quickly pressed against Tsuna's own and Hibari's arms wrapped around him, crushing his frame into his. Any words he wanted to say were muffled by the kiss and left his mouth open to invasion. Before he knew it his cloud guardian had him pinned onto the couch and was leaning over him lecherously. At this point, with hands grabbing hold of his hips, he'd forgotten all his duties. Even after years sometimes all it took was the skylark's touch to turn him into a puddle of goo. Resistance was futile.

Things got intense after a few minutes of groping each other and while Tsuna was trying to push Hibari's, now unbuttoned, shirt off the door to the living room swung open. There was the sound of a familiar gun cocking, giving the Vongola Decimo just enough time to roll over and fall to the floor with his lover. The bullet, which had been aimed at the brunette's head, sailed into the couch, the leather parting easily for it.

Hibari didn't seem pleased with the interruption, but his herbivore, since he'd always be one compared to the arcobaleno, jumped right up apologizing profusely to Reborn. There'd been at time, years and years ago, that he would have screamed and yelled at his tutor for shooting at him, but things were different now. He couldn't be a mafia don and not be at least halfway okay with being shot at, plus he knew Reborn would never kill him on purpose. No, he couldn't do that until there was a heir.

Thoughts of an heir aside Tsuna recalled the mess throughout the mansion and shivered. Reborn would never let that go without punishment and by the glint in the baby's eyes he knew he was right. Well, his other guardians weren't here yet so maybe he'd be able to fix the place up in time for them. "What extremely happened here?! Sawada, are you alright?!" Ok, maybe that wasn't so true after all, poor him.

* * *

><p>Glancing at the training room walls, Tsuna groaned. This time all the dents and scorched parts were his fault, but that didn't mean the paperwork would be any easier. Sitting up slowly he felt and heard his back crack. It hurt for a second, and then the relief hit him, nothing like cracking a few bones to make them feel better. The training session had been hard since it was the course Reborn prepared, only toned down a bit and now all he felt like doing was going to bed. That seemed like it wasn't going to happen once he exited the room. Lambo was just walking in and caught him by the sleeve, expression slightly panicked. "Rokudo and Hibari are going at it again, but Reborn refuses to stop them! Come help, Tsuna-nii." He didn't even have a chance to protest before he was being dragged alone.<p>

Reaching the living room which Tsuna caught his tow guardians fighting in earlier that day, Lambo stole a peek at him from the corner of his eye. Then the teenager opened both of the doors and rushed in. All the way here the hallways had been dimly lit, the sun having set while he was training, but the living room was bursting with light. Since that was how it was he got blinded until his vision quickly adjusted.

The sight that met his eyes took the brunette's breath away. Lambo, the little brat, had lied. Mukuro and Hibari weren't fighting at all. Oh, they looked like they wanted to, or at least Hibari did. Mukuro just appeared like he was trying to temp him into a fight, wearing the smirk which constantly drove the skylark crazy, but their weapons weren't drawn. They even stood as far away from each other as they could, like usual.

Them not battling wasn't what was so mesmerizing to Tsuna though. It was the gloriously decorated room that did him in. The living room looked so much better than when he fixed it up for the party. All of his guardians were in the room, peacefully co-existing with one another and Reborn, who was also there, wasn't attempting to stir them up. Put simply it was a divine miracle. Most of his guardians were even wearing Santa hats.

Gokudera was the first to jump right up and talk to the Vongola boss. "Tenth! Do you like it? We figured that since you have been so stressed lately a party might do you good." The brunette nearly teared up at this, Hayato had matured so much. He was finally able to say 'we' and not just 'I' like he used to. In the end seeing all the things his guardians have done for him and hearing Hayato it was just too much, the tears flowed unrestrained. Smiling, a few of his friends came up to have a group hug started by Ryohei, who was also crying by that point.

A little later when the party was in full swing and everyone was moving around chatting Hibari came over to join Tsuna who'd sat down on the couch to observe. The Vongola boos stiffened and they both stared straight ahead, too unnerved to even glance at each other. "I.." The smaller of the two looked over at hearing his lover speak; wanting to hear what he had to say. "I may have been a bit jealous." That was all he was willing to say, but that was what Tsuna expected anyway.

The Decimo heard Mukuro mention something about Reborn lying so it was easy enough to guess what had happened. His tutor told Kyoya something to have him aggravated enough for him to fly here right away so Tsuna could finally have a Christmas with his lover. The result of what Reborn said was a bit annoying though. There was no reason what-so-ever to have to say that Mukuro and him were something.

Tsuna smiled lightly up at the ex-perfect and let him kiss him. Their lips had just touched, leaving him feeling so happy about everything, when hands wrapped around his neck and began to strangle him. His eyes popped open and he stared up at the man smirking at him. This seemed nothing like his lover, but he was quickly running out of breath and had to struggle to break free. His wriggling and trashing accomplished nothing though and the hold on his neck only became tighter.

Turing his head as much as he could the brunette pleaded with his eyes for his other guardians to help him, hoping they would see. They were looking at him alright, but none of them tried to help, instead his friends laughed at his situation. Chrome even shouted for him to die. Takeshi took a long drink of the eggnog in his hand, staring at his boss.

Tsuna caught sight of his tutor, Ernesto, looking panicked on the other side of the room. Suddenly the man dashed towards him, reached out to help him, but he was met with a sword to the gut. Takeshi continued to sip on his eggnog, not bating an eyelash at having stabbed someone. This was the ugly side of the mafia.

Tears ran down the brunette's cheeks as he watched his tutor die. Turning away from the sight he looked into a mirror and saw he was a teenager. His eyes wandered to his 'friends' and saw they'd changed also. Vision cloudy, he tried to blink the fuzziness away, but it wouldn't leave and he knew. He knew soon he'd be just as dead as Ernesto was. Even as he thought this he was dropping into the darkness.

* * *

><p>Aria screamed out in frustration in the world she created. Even the small good memories she was trying to feed to Tsuna in his unconscious state were being corrupted. So she did the only reasonable thing she could do and pulled out of his head. If she kept at it Ernesto would just continue to give him horrible dreams, using her own flame against her. Right now all she could do was conserve her flame since it was a limited supply.<p>

Down in the past Tsuna had begun to twitch in his sleep once the dream went sour. Vongola Primo and his guardians stood over him in a panic, having come in after hearing Lampo scream. Knuckle took the boy's pulse and then shook him gently. Nothing happened so he stopped and gazed up at his fellow guardians. "There is nothing we can do for him. His condition is stable; he'll wake up on his own."

After a while everyone cleared out again, going back to their duties, leaving Lampo and Giotto there by themselves. Giotto stared down at the boy and then glanced over at the other children. Leaning down he kissed the child on the forehead, whispering, "If you have to sleep, at least let your dreams be peaceful." Tsuna had stopped twitching, Aria having stopped the dream, and Giotto left the room. Lampo stayed though, staring at the brats, not looking like he planned to leave the room anytime soon.

**This was supposed to be a Christmas special, but I didn't put it out in time so I added a tiny bit of the real story in here and made it a chapter. Things never go as I plan! Next chapter will be less filler and more plot.**


	22. Mansion Invasion

**Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman Reborn and its characters do not belong to me, they belong to Amano Akira**

**-Chapter Twenty-two-**

**Mansion Invasion**

The early morning sun lit the sky of Sicily Italy, shining down into the town Vongola inhabited. Underground a well-timed machine did the same for the Vongola rebels that resided there. Everyone except for a few select mechanics and a certain Archobaleno woke to the light. Reborn sat in the kitchen, drinking his espresso while waiting on Shoichi and Spanner to finish up the job he requested of them. Mammon, or if you prefer, Viper, wandered in and went straight for the breakfast an automatic cook had prepared a few minutes before.

Reborn didn't bother looking up, continuing to take long life giving sips of his espresso. Floating with the plate balanced on his head Mammon went to the table so he could start eating his breakfast. Before he started to eat though, he glanced over at the other hitman, or at least that's what the sun Archobaleno thought since he couldn't see where his eyes were directed under that hood of his. The only clue to this being that he addressed his fellow life-suffer.

"Reborn, you're invading the Vongola mansion as planned, right?"

Nodding, the ex-tutor didn't raise his eyes from his cup. There was a slim chance of Viper actually asking if he could come along with him, but Reborn believed this wasn't about the other Archobaleno tagging along. Mammon's next words confirmed this, "What will happen to your money if you die? I could take it as payment for arranging a funeral for you…"

Yeah, he was sure any funeral Mammon organized for him would involve his body being thrown into a hole without a casket. Didn't matter much anyway, he'd probably do the same thing to this snake of an Archobaleno.

Finally putting down the cup of espresso, now finished, Reborn settled into his chair, tilting the edge of his fedora. "Why not join me? It's a chance to see yourself as an adult again. A body that is real enough to touch." The little worm actually appeared tempted at the offer, but rejected it all the same. Viper said that it wouldn't gain him any money, making it a waste of his time. By this point the baby lookalike had finished his breakfast so he floated off, probably finding a spot to hide form Xanxus for when the man realized there wasn't any steak left.

Reborn glanced over at the espresso maker that sat on the counter, wondering if he could get another cup in before the mechanics finished their job. He'd just gotten to the counter and started to pour when Shoichi rushed into the room, hologram chip in hand. Right as he made it to the kitchen he slammed his arm down onto the counter, grabbing it so he wouldn't go farther in and crash into something. The sound of liquid spilling was the first thing that met his ears.

Immediately the red-head froze, feeling the amount of murderous intent directed at him. It was almost like he was being choked by it. Turning his head slowly, Shoichi saw a mucky brown substance dripping onto the floor, drop by drop. His hand was placed on Reborn's foot, who was staring down at the mysterious liquid. Spanner entered behind him just as the sun Archobaleno lunched a drop-kick towards his work partner's head. Said engineer held his stomach after he was hit and the blonde slowly sucked on his lollipop. After eyeing the kitchen thoroughly he took it out only to say, "You spilled his espresso, yes?"

* * *

><p>Once the mess in the kitchen was cleaned and Reborn consumed another cup of his all-time favorite drink the trio moved to their workspace. Unlike Vongola's main underground headquarters, their hideout was small. It was an unfinished section in Italy that had yet to be attached and there was no blueprint of it lying around the mansion.<p>

There were only around three offices built before the building plans were interrupted by Tsuna's death. On the other end of the spectrum there were so many bedrooms and with the rebel group being on the small side, most of them were empty. To put it simply, their offices were crowded, nearly all of the space filled with Spanner and Shoichi's work on time travel. Of course if they wanted their team could have invaded an empty room and made it into their office, but Reborn insisted that the rooms stayed exactly the way Tsuna envisioned them. When the brunette came back he wouldn't want any of his plans messed up. Whenever Reborn spoke like that everyone felt he was clinging desperately onto impossible dreams, at least until they found out their boss really was alive.

Sitting down on Spanner's side of the room, since it was mostly covered in machine parts, which were better than Shoichi's paper avalanche risk space, Reborn spoke. "Where is it?" The blonde Englishman continued to such on his lollipop as he reached in his pocket and showed off the tech chip that his co-worker had rushed into the kitchen with earlier. Grabbing an ear clip off his desk he connected it to the chip, placing another chip from his pocket in it also. Giving it to the baby he watched him put it on silently.

After a moment Spanner took the lollipop out of his mouth. "One is to show a hologram of your adult form, the other an invisibility cloak to keep yourself hidden so all people see is the larger you." Reborn nodded, hit the button on the ear piece and let the device work its magic. The blonde man took a step back as adult Reborn appeared, fedora-less. The Archobaleno didn't seem pleased at this and Shoichi rushed to explain.

"Even if you have this appearance, you might meet some people you know in Vongola. They'd recognize you right away." Reborn still wasn't content, but he could understand this reasoning a bit. When he disguised himself he never kept his fedora on. Seeing this Shoichi continued when he really should have stopped while he was ahead. "That's why we had to get rid of your sideburns also." Instantly the hitman's hand went up to his cheek. Once this information was fully processed all hell broke loose.

* * *

><p>The sky changed from its earlier splendor and was now a cloudy overcast. It was only noon, but the sun looked like it was setting behind the Vongola mansion. Reborn didn't bother paying any attention to the gloomy weather and walked towards the mansion, one goal in mind. In the years that their rebel group searched for information, for hope, they'd come across nothing which linked the Eleventh to the mafia. He was inexperienced, so all of them thought up a plan to play on this weakness.<p>

Rumors were flying around about the newest Vongola boss taking in anyone who knew how to use a gun. He wanted quantity over quality in his hitmen, so being a good shot was just icing on the cake to him. Plus the man didn't seem to think background checks were necessary, so Reborn had a good chance to infiltrate. It was a great time to execute their plan as any. They were placing their hope in the Eleventh truly having learned nothing in the last few years that he was a mafia don.

It wasn't Reborn's style, but an appointment had been set up for him to meet the current don. This made getting inside the mansion his simplest mission ever. Just to make things more fun and to give Ernesto, that's the only name they were able to recover in the years since the Vongola Decimo's death, a lasting impression of him, he slipped away from his escort. From there he snuck into the office he was to see the Eleventh in. It was empty so he sat down in a chair across the desk Tsuna used to occupy.

Back in the day with the kid in charge the ex-tutor would have sat in the more comfortable chair behind the desk, but he wanted to show his skill as a hitman to gain the man's trust. Sitting there would just piss the Vongola boss off, Reborn hadn't been sitting in the chair long when the door opened. Once the Eleventh's guards realized he was without an escort and was most likely an intruder, they took aim to shoot. Bullets whizzed passed his head as he moved it enough to avoid them.

Before Ernesto could blink, both his guards laid dead across the floor, a wound showing they were shot execution style. He didn't bat an eyelash at their deaths, but his hand tightened around the remote in his pocket. He spoke to the man who had yet to stand or even bother to turn to see the people he'd killed without looking, "What is your business here?" Seeing the hitman suddenly get up fazed him less than watching his subordinates get shot did. The smirk on his face had more of an affect though; he shivered an almost unnoticeable bit at the aura he released.

"I'm your eight o'clock." Ernesto pointedly looked at the clock which read a quarter to eight. "Yeah, a bit early I know, but I don't like wasting time." That one sentence was like an instant pass into the other man's good graces for Reborn. Research showed that the Vongola Eleventh liked to do things quick and easy, when something wasn't done soon enough he even threw a fit. A moment of silence went by so the Archobaleno took it a step farther by tapping his watch lightly. "Time's a wastin' so how about we talk partnership." This unfroze Ernesto, who walked to his desk and did just that by offering Reborn a large sum of many for the assignation of a rather pesky mafia boss, Dino Cavallone.

* * *

><p>A few days before in the far back past Asari's carriage pulled up to the Cavallone estate. The rain guardian had spent another mindless wandering day of the area, waiting for news of the Cavallone boss's return. He felt it was quite rude to leave for a trip when there was knowledge of the alliance trying to be set up, but it fit the description of the don he'd heard about since he arrived. Earlier he finally got word of the don's return and rushed back to meet him. Getting out of his carriage Asari nearly ran to the entrance, almost tripping over his long gown like clothing in the process.<p>

Once the Vongola guardian entered he was met at the door by a butler, like always. He didn't want to be rude to either the don or the servant, but he couldn't see the mafia boss for the first time with shopping bags in his hands and had to shove them into the butler's arms. Hurrying off to the music room, which he'd been strictly told to stay out of before now, he went to see Cavallone like the servants told him to do. Why he wanted to discuss the alliance there was unknown to him, but he didn't' really care. He would finally get to see the legendary collection he heard all the workers here bragging about.

The doors to the room swung open at Asari's slightest touch and he had to hold back the gasp which tried to escape him. It was more than a beautiful room, the décor was tasteful, there wasn't any space wasted with huge statues that were more ugly than not, and everything inside was somehow related to music in some way or other. A perfect area for any fine acts lover to be at peace in, the Cavallone must have chosen to discuss things here because he'd heard about his hobby of flute playing.

This would have been a great idea if the rain guardian hadn't been so irritated by the gorgeous room that didn't hold one piece of classical music. The don must have awful taste if he couldn't even appreciate the most bewitching side of music. Not thinking his honest opinion on this place should be known he kept his trade mark smile on, while an unreasonable rage consumed him. If he flew off the handle now he'd never hear the end of it from Giotto. Plus, one wrong word or expression from him could start a war that would destroy the Vongola.

Cavallone stood across the room, admiring a record which hung from the wall with his back facing Asari. Even if he wasn't the kind of person that didn't attack people in vulnerable moments, it wouldn't have mattered since the don had three guards almost attached to his hip. It took a minute or two, but the man did turn to look at him. A smile shined on his face and it didn't seem fake in the least. What belied this vision of perfect friendliness was the hand that slid to his belt to put the dagger he held back where it belonged.

A couple years had gone by since the Vongola rain guardian entered the mafia and in that time he heard plenty of the man who stood before him now. He favored two weapons, a whip that he only used occasionally and daggers which dangled from his belt at all times. For him to have the knife out and ready like that meant he'd been paranoid, thinking he might be attacked. One wrong move on Asari's part and he would have died. Good thing he kept his mouth shut about the classical thing. Even with his expert skills with swords he never would have gotten it out of the sheath quick enough to defend himself against the dagger.

Smile still glowingly in place Cavallone stepped forward and showed the Japanese man to a chair. On the back of the wooden seat a music note was craved and as he sat down with the don he let his fingers brush it. "The workers here know quite a bit of rumors surrounding you. They told me just the sight of this collection could set you off. Sadly, no one said why so if you would elaborate for me I'd be grateful." This is when the anger started to show a bit on his face, if he knew this would upset him he didn't have to purposely do it.

To be a bit spiteful Asari decided to answer simply, giving him the shortest answer he could without doing it Alaude style. "I like classic." Cavallone blinked, expecting more to come, but he kept his mouth firmly shut. He wasn't usually this snippy and he thought he never would purposely be rude to a mafia don; it was taking too big of a chance. Yet here he was, doing just that. He waited for Cavallone to get upset, declare the alliance off before it even started, but he only stared until he began to laugh instead.

"I like an honest person." A maid wandered in then, balancing a tray of treats and cups carefully. Making it to where they sat she set it on the table and the rain guardian noticed how it was made out to look like it had piano keys. While he was distracted by the design Cavallone poured him a drink. Reaching out he took hold of the cup and brought it to his lips. The heat coming from it didn't place it in an unusual category, but the taste did.

Ever since Asari traveled to Italy to help put Giotto he hadn't gotten a decent cup of tea anywhere. Italians just didn't know how to make it like the Japanese. Though this drink in his hand that he thought would be coffee turned out to have a taste he never once forgot. Somehow this mafia boss had achieved possession of Japanese tea that even Vongola Primo could not find around. His only question was how he'd gotten hold of it.

"I have been traveling in Japan for the last few weeks and picked some up to bring home with me. It's hard to find a taste like this anywhere else." Cavallone may not like the right kind of music, but at least he knew a good cup of tea when he found one. The rain guardian was starting to like him a bit more, just a tiny bit though. "Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. I also happen to like classical music."

Asari's eyes nearly popped out of his head at this surprising remark. How could the man say that when there wasn't even one classical record anywhere in here? Standing abruptly the mafia boss marched over to a cabinet and flung the doors open. Inside was an overwhelming amount of classical records pressed up against each other, not leaving any extra space. "These are all my personal favorites. I don't want to scratch them so they are barely ever played though." Quickly the Vongola guardian of rain stood and stuck out his arm for a handshake. This would be a beautiful alliance.

* * *

><p>Reborn prided himself on being able to control every situation he'd ever encountered, this one included. He faked compliance well, nodding his head while he mapped out a possible way he could kill the man and escape the mansion. "Cavallone famiglia, huh?" The tone in his voice was thoughtful, sounding like he was considering the assignation's worth. The Archobaleno had just decided to shoot Ernesto, his silencer was properly in anyway or else there would have been a flood of the Eleventh's minions rushing in, when Ernesto spoke.<p>

"Yeah, you know, the one you tutored." Suddenly, right in his real face, not the holograms, a remote was pointed. Since Tsuna died and this jackass took over Reborn only happened on a discussion of the remote the new Vongola boss wielded as a weapon once. The men he overheard gossiping were part of the new recruits that Ernesto dragged in with him, but even they didn't' know much about this mysterious remote. All they could say when he interrogated them was that it was amazingly powerful and that it was used to kill the Decimo.

Reborn wasn't one to ask the question how, but he really wanted to. There hadn't ever been a human on earth who didn't fall for Vongola grade holograms, AKA Spanner and Shoichi's work, not even himself. Tsuna was not considered in that count because he used his hyper-intuition. The fact that there was someone capable of what he couldn't do was incredulous. If you wanted the possible impossible you went to him, not anyone else. He'd be in denial forever, but he felt a tiny bit worried for his own welfare in front of this mafia boss. It was something he never felt or wanted to feel before.

The way the remote aimed at Reborn seemed like the other man could see him, but on closer inspection it wasn't like that at all. He noticed when he looked straight at the remote and saw it was off center. It started off in the middle, yet as he didn't say anything, Ernesto subtle moved it, searching for a reaction he'd thought would happen once he aimed right. The guy was just guessing where he was! Highly offended at this cheap track he clicked his tongue and the hologram disappeared, a nifty feature of the device.

This kept the ex-tutor out of sight because of his invisibility chip. In time with his vanishing act Ernesto dove for him while he still had his general proximity in mind. Reborn didn't let this bother him and simply stepped out of the way to avoid capture. After seeing his attacker's face connect with a chair he was sure this would be an easy victory. What he hadn't counted on was the don pushing a button on the remote in his anger and having it detect him.

The baby watched as he hit the button and swung it around the room in every direction. He was interested in what the he was trying to do so he'd kept out of it to see what would happen. A dumb mistake, he realized when it got to him and started to beep crazily. Shocked, he tried to move, but was unsuccessful. In that moment he was paralyzed from the neck down. He found out why when he glanced over at his arm, having felt it pulse, and noticed a near transparent cord connecting the remote to him. It was acting like a damn taser!

A taser wouldn't bother Reborn; it wasn't like it was his first time being tased anyway. This sensation was just a tad different from that weapon though and it couldn't' even compare to how much a real taser hurt. Ernesto hadn't aimed right either, if there was a desperate need to take someone down, if it was a man, the easiest way was to attack their balls. A tase there would have stunned him real good. The only reason he knew how that felt was because he'd been rambunctious as a teenager and one of the cops he encountered couldn't aim worth shit. An experience he'd much rather forget than tell anyone.

_The only problem,_ the hitman thought as he slowly, but surely resisted dropping to the ground and went towards Ernesto, _is that the invisibility clip will malfunction in about eight to ten seconds_. He needed to at least knock him down, get the advantage before he was seen completely. Raising his arm to shoot, he tore off the wire connecting him and the other man, making it look like he'd fallen. His invisibility vanished as he pulled the trigger, but it was already too late to avoid the bullet.

It went sinking into Ernesto's skull and Reborn let himself feel victorious for a moment. The emotion stayed until he saw the bullet come out the other side and embed itself into the wall. The infant had never seen such a thing before, bullets in the head usually didn't come out, his technique prevented that. The cleanup was always messy afterwards so he didn't like it. And it wasn't just the bullet going into the wall that bothered him. The skin the fatal shot went through was repairing itself, looking smooth as a baby's bottom.

Reborn backed up a mental step, the idea of immortality never having been this prominent before. He realized it then, the fact that the man hadn't even fallen after he was shot. His mental retreat turned physical in the next minute when the Vongola boss charged at him, looking like an angry bull. He pushed open the doors to the office and reviewed what the rebel's search had found on this man. All he came up with was a very short list.

No substantial relation to the mafia, doesn't like wasting time, weapon a mysterious remote, and an unknown strength level. What rock had this guy crawled out of for him to fly under the radar of Vongola this long? The only conclusion the ex-tutor could come up with was that he must not have possessed this strength very long before he killed Dame-Tsuna. That idea left him unsettled since the concept of rapidly increasing power brought said Decimo to mind along with a certain bucking horse. An Archobaleno had to have had a hand in this whole mess for this type of growth to take place.

Darting down the hall Reborn dodged each and every ray that shot out of the remote Ernesto was holding. As time passed doing so was getting harder, the Eleventh's accuracy getting better by the second. His uneasiness increased when he realized the reason he had the upper hand was because his knowledge of the layout of the mansion was far superior. He never needed to use the home court advantage in the past so this pissed him off. A problem soon arose though, it seemed Ernesto busied himself with renovations and not the work he should have been doing as boss.

With no idea of where he was going Reborn continued to go down unknown hallways, looking for a way out. Sure he never ran away, that's what a coward did, but he picked his battles carefully. The key to being the victor was to not get egoistical, letting cockiness take over was not an option. Coming across a corner he turned his body completely so he was facing the oncoming enemy and dove to the side. While his body sailed through the air he shot off a few rounds. Before Ernesto could fire back he was already safely around the corner.

The Archobaleno didn't' stop running though he'd seen a bullet hit the Eleventh's shoulder. There was no guarantee that the wound stopped him and in a second his theory was proven as Ernesto turned the corner also. His shoulder appeared unharmed, the only evidence of the bullet being a hole in the man's shirt. This rapid healing thing was starting to freak Reborn out just a tiny bit and considering the kind of stuff he saw on a daily basis that was quite an accomplishment. Whatever this man was it wasn't natural. Someone must have created him.

Taking another turn the hitman found himself at a dead-end so he went in the first door he came across. Jumping up and grabbing hold of the frame he let his body hang there until Ernesto's head popped into view. Swinging his legs he let go and flew right into the Vongola boss's face. He got out a few good punches before large hands tried to pry him of the other man's face. For being baby sized he hung on for quite some time, letting go only when he had one hand around his gun. Right as he was pulled off he pressed the barrel of the gun to Ernesto's cheek and fired.

Blood splattered across the walls, staining them red and without a glance backwards Reborn jumped out an open window to his left. Behind him he heard the thud of a heavy weight hitting the floor and knew that for now the chase was over. Getting back to their base without being tailed by a Vongola subordinate was his last task for this mission. Although his logical brain told him that Ernesto wouldn't be a problem for them after he'd shot him that close up, he felt this was just the beginning, the prologue before the curtains truly opened. The Eleventh would be up soon and his first order of business would be tracking him down.

* * *

><p>Back in the dream world which Aria had created the tenth generation guardians were quiet. Their attempts at getting out hadn't worked, nothing seemed like it would at this point so a dark mood settled over them. If there was no way out how could they help Tsuna? The person most affected by their failures was Hibari, no one even daring to go near the aggravated skylark, Mukuro's amusement at the situation having faded awhile back. Gokudera didn't bother him either though it was a world where no real physical harm could befall him. Fear for his body wasn't what held him in check, it was just a mere courtesy for the man he remembered Hibari to be. If Hayato had been in his shoes, finding out he'd raped his lover he would want to be left alone to.<p>

Hibari lay on the floor, staring up at the imperceptible ceiling, a feeling of unfiltered dread hitting him. While they were trapped here Tsuna was locked inside a closed off mind with no knowledge of who he really was. In that state he could commit a sin without meaning to, like he had done. Though for Tsuna, a person hating to hurt others, he would never forgive himself for doing something bad. While the herbivore was in that dangerous position all he could do was wait here for a chance to escape.

Thinking this, the dark corner of the room suddenly lit up, the darkness rushing away and disappearing. Hibari, along with the other guardians, shot right to their feet. The ground began to shiver, turning quickly into a full on shaking motion. Gokudera, figuring out what was happening began to smirk. "Let's get out of here!" In a single blink the sliver-haired man vanished, Yamamoto quickly following. Seeing them disappear, Hibari felt it. The forced attachment his consciousness had to this place faded, leaving his body weightless. His firmly planted feet were the only thing keeping him from floating off. All he needed to do was will it, wishing to be where he belonged, right by Tsunayoshi's side, and he vanished along with the other guardians.

**I know my disappearing acts must be getting annoying. I'll try to stay on track this time but I promise nothing. Thanks for all the reviews so far, they _do_ keep me going.**


	23. Confrontation

**Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman Reborn and its characters do not belong to me, they belong to Amano Akira**

**-Chapter Twenty-three-**

**Confrontation**

Falling through white empty space, the guardians saw each other. Basically it felt like skydiving without a parachute. While they fell their images shrunk until they were completely back in child form. The first to change all the way was Gokudera and when he did he was swallowed up by a hole which he vanished nearly instantly. Except right before it closed they heard his pain ridden scream. Yamamoto tried to speed his decent up, but nothing worked. It didn't really matter though since once he was a child again he followed him anyway.

Hibari was starting to feel a bit apprehensive, wondering if leaving suddenly had been such a great idea after all. There was nothing he could do to stop it and he knew that, accepted his fate for whatever it would be. A little while later he fell into the area that the rain and storm disappeared at. Without warning his consciousness slammed into his body. His back arched off the bed, eyes bulging with pain, mouth opening in a senseless gesture as he forced himself not to scream like the others did. Body thrashing around, his head seared with his obtained memories, unable to hold them all without difficulty.

Grey eyes catching sight of the beds lined next to his, he watched every guardian go through enormous agony. What really bothered him though was his own blurry vision. Colorful flakes covered spots of his vision, things becoming distorted. In this state he saw something he couldn't see with normal sight. At the very last bed where Tsuna laid convulsing, the colors gathered to show off a figure that appeared to have been thrown off the brunette. The apparition got up, lunging forward to take hold of Tsuna's neck, but the brunette fought against him even as he trembled. Soon he couldn't take the pain anymore and his struggles weakened. With a final lunge the man got his hands around his neck and his convulsing stopped completely, falling back onto the bed.

Sight clearing, Hibari couldn't see the man choking the child anymore; he chucked it up to his imagination. The pain was fading now, but he knew he wouldn't be able to keep his eyes open much longer. Yet right as his eyelids closed for the last time in awhile he saw the man flicker into view, Tsuna's hand pushed up against his face in a final struggle to resist. Then his vision went black and he drifted off somewhere, trying to deny what he'd seen in the hope that it truly wasn't real.

Gokudera, having screamed his lungs off, finally became able to breath properly. Expressing his pain had made the hurt easier to deal with, though he still hated doing anything that let him seem anything other than the perfect right-hand man. With his respiratory system working again his head lapped to the side in exhaustion from all the screaming he did. That was when he saw the tenth wiggling on his bed, almost as if someone was holding him down. When he realized that must actually be happening he tried to get up, but his knees failed him.

Immediately after he stood Gokudera's body slammed back down, onto the floor this time. Pain shot up his legs and he came close to passing out as his vision grew cloudy. He gasped and a bang sounded as someone ran into the infirmary door. The handle giggled once it began to turn, but his eyes were glued to the man looming above the tenth. It was this man who'd killed Tsuna in the future and now he was here. At least he was in some way since his psychical form was transparent. Still his see-thoroughness didn't matter since he could hold the brunette down well enough.

The turning of the door knob was what obtained the man's attention, forcing him to free a hand so he could grab the remote hanging at his side. Seeing this as a chance to attack, Gokudera leaned forward, ready to jump up and tackle the man though he hardly see him as his sight was improving. As he did so, expecting to save Tsuna, an arm wrapped around his middle, pulling him under the bed and up against a familiar warmth. In that moment he detested Yamamoto for pulling him away from saving their boss like he had the first time Tsuna fought this man.

The door opened an inch or two before the tenth's attacker got to shoot off his remote, but it wasn't enough to successfully get inside. A blast from the remote pushed the door closed, welding it permanently like that afterwards. Gokudera's vision cleared right as he saw Tsuna still under the single hand choking him. Yamamoto was trying to calm him down, thinking the brunette was just going through what each of them had to get back to this world. He knew that, even as he thrashing around begging to be let go so he could help the tenth. Unable to form the words he wanted, 'he's being attacked,' the hold never loosened.

Mukuro watched the scene play out between the rain and storm, having always found their interactions amusing. It had been hilarious to him as his fellow guardians' relationship progressed into something more than friendship. Though this time he wasn't watching for entertainment, there was an uneasiness about the room. An unseen presence that gave him, Rokudo Mukuro, one of the most twisted criminals in mafia history, goose bumps. The hair on the back of his neck stood up and he rubbed it to try to get rid of the sensation.

Chrome seemed to realize there was something wrong too, coming over to Mukuro and hanging onto his arm. It was a strange new habit that came from their memories in this life. She'd never have clung like this to him in the future; he didn't give her that option. Now though she did it naturally, without hesitation or shyness, and quite surprisingly he happened to like it. After a second of her pulling on his arm it dawned on him that she wanted him to lean down. He did so cautiously and when his ear was next to her petite mouth she started to whisper furiously.

"There's someone standing over Bossu. I think they are doing something bad to him. What do we do, Mukuro-nii?" Chrome's new way of addressing him won over her old one and maybe when they went back to the future she would finally stop calling him sama. The girl had not once called him anything else other than that even at the time in which he abandoned her and the feelings her new habit spurred in him were not altogether unwelcomed. So the tingle of unpleasantness that shot down his spine at her words was caused by concern for the young Tsunayoshi.

Mukuro hated showing how he honestly felt unless the emotion was anger, he occasionally let that one slip, but he didn't have time to cover up his feelings. Instantly, he stepped forward, telling Yamamoto to let Gokudera go as he did so. Waving his hand towards Tsunayoshi, an illusion of fog formed. It was easy to see through and as it filled the room all of the conscious guardians saw it wrapped around an empty space, reacting as if there was actually something there. After a bit it was simple to guess what the shape was. It was the image of a giant of a man.

Yamamoto let out a sound that should have been a gasp yet somehow changed in the transfer from mental to physical. His child body urged the change to a squeak. It was a sound he had memories of making before in this life and in a different situation, one where Tsuna wasn't in any type of danger, he was sure Hayato would call him out on it to try and humiliate him. Swearing to himself that he'd try not to make any such noise again he watched the fierce mini-bomber jump up from where he landed after he'd released him and pounced on the huge figure of a man. As he did so he wore up a storm, mentioning welded doors, remotes and fucking murderers.

A minute later the rain guardian joined his lover, thinking as he did so about how the man seemed familiar. After he had gotten on him though he didn't give the thought anymore attention, too busy trying to rip the hair out of Tsuna's attacker's head. Hey, it wasn't like he was proud about having to be such a wimp, he just didn't think a punch from the body he now possessed would hurt much at all. What could they do against a man who'd, going by what Hayato had said, welded a door so well that Primo and his guardians still couldn't get the darn thing out of their way.

It was then that Yamamoto remembered all of what the storm guardian said and connected it. Remote and 'fucking murderer' being said together while protecting Tsuna could only mean one thing, this man was their friend's killer. The shock from the realization hit him and his grip loosened. In that instants Yamamoto was thrown off, body sailing through the air until he hit the wall. The sheer power of this man was terrifying to behold. With the physical forms they had now there was no way for them to defeat him if none of the guardians had their weapons. If Mukuro didn't use his illusions there wasn't even a chance of seeing him. Not being able to help Tsuna really made Yamamoto feel pathetic.

Ryohei, who'd finally woken up, did something new when he saw the situation and actually figured out what was happening fairly accurately. "I'll extremely help take that bull down!" Well, it didn't really matter that he couldn't identify shapes correctly since either way he hopped up onto the man and began to pound him with his fists. Both children, Gokudera and Ryohei, refused to let go, leaving Yamamoto amazed by his boyfriend's gripping power in desperate times. The way the two pulled, scratched, punched, and bit the man had them looking like ferocious animals.

Yamamoto stood up, planning to help with the difficult task of beating Tsuna's killer, but noticed Mukuro and Chrome watching close by. Knowing the other male exhausted his illusionary powers with the mist like fog he almost left him alone. Mukuro was just to elegant to join a brawl willingly, though he noticed the way one of the guardian's hands kept opening and clenching. Chrome wasn't fairing much better, eyes trailing the fight, a look of longing in them. Unfortunately, he didn't want to chance her getting hurt so he only grabbed Mukuro's shoulder, yanking him forward to push him into the adult's back.

The rest, Yamamoto was happy to notice, happened on its own. Male mist guardian, having found himself so close to his desired target, decided it wouldn't hurt to at least do something to help out and kicked the back of the man's knees as hard as he could. Quickly, he moved out of the way, entertained at seeing his legs buckle a bit. Mukuro would have gladly gone into the combat state if he thought it would help, but he was sure it wouldn't. Fighting without his trident in the combat state wouldn't feel right and his power of illusion was already drained. Curse this small body that couldn't' carry as much energy as he needed. He couldn't comprehend why it wouldn't work; after all he used it quite a bit when he was a child in the future.

Mukuro eyed the man's back, giving a mental sigh as he did so. Wondering what Tsuna's attacker really looked like under all this invisible crap he climbed on beside Gokudera. The storm guardian had his legs wrapped around what he assumed was a thick neck, and his arms covering what he hoped was a pair of eyes, though a finger or two seemed to be shoved in the attacker's mouth, maybe trying to force him to gag. The man was trying hard to rip the offending hands off, not bothering to turn to attempt to see who kicked him, so it was easy to get on him.

Ryohei, having slipped down from his perch on the man after Mukuro's kick, had gotten hold of his leg and bitten down on it. A sound like a yelp escaped Tsuna's killer's mouth, and he swung his leg to get the sun guardian off. The child refused to let go though so this action only hindered his balance, which to their frustration he quickly fixed so he wouldn't fall. Yamamoto saw this moment's lapse in balance and launched himself onto the man to disrupt it more. Finally, with the weight of four children he couldn't' stand anymore.

Mukuro knew what would happen once he saw Yamamoto join them and had disengaged faster than a bullet could fly. Unfortunately, the other three fell along with their opponent, who landed on his back. Gokudera being located there bore the brunt of the fall. He didn't complain, too focused on keeping the man blinded to truly notice the pain he was experiencing. Just what could be expected from the great right-hand man he'd become. The silver-haired boy would have stayed like that all day if need be, but remembered something and he let go.

The remote Gokudera had seen him hang from his belt was hitting against his leg, it having fallen from where it put it around the other's neck, and it being the only weapon he'd ever seen him use he decided to go for it. If he didn't have it in his possession there was a chance they could win. The second he let go though, they both went to grab for it. Arms being longer than the storm guardian's own the man almost got to it first. Luckily, a tonfa got shoved in his face before he could and Hibari growled down at him, "Move and I'll bite you to death, Herbivore." Hesitating, the man didn't move his hand any farther down and Gokudera got the remote, which then became visible.

When the weapon was taken Tsuna's attacker's transparency simmered and Hibari got a good look at him for the first time. Enraged since this man fit the description of his lover's killer that he received from his fellow guardians he slammed his tonfa downward, going for his jaw. He wanted to do the most damage possible, not to kill for that would be too gentle of a punishment. This lower-than-a-herbivore man needed to feel double the pain he'd felt from losing his only loved one. Hibari knew that could take a while because emotional and physical pain could not be equaled easily, at least not his. Not when the psychical type never bothered him much and he so rarely left himself unguarded for an emotional attack.

Tsuna was the first person he left himself open for in many years and this stupid herbivore had the audacity to take him away. All of his pain and rage came together to form strength that he'd never been able to use in this body before. So when Hibari sent that tonfa down he expected blood, sounds of bones breaking, screams from the murderer of his beloved. In the second it took to recognize the man and attack the simmering went away. A heaviness that he hand't noticed befdore was lifted, Tsuna gasped, and the door flew open, the welding having gone away. This all happened a second after the remote was taken away from Ernesto, a name echoing in their minds.

Everything seemed to take place in slow motion for Hibari until he saw Gokudera cringing away from the oncoming tonfa. It was too late for him to fully stop the swing of his arm, but he lessened the strength he put into it has much he could on short notice. The distance between weapon and face wasn't more than three inches when the storm guardian felt his head get pushed away from the side. In the moments after he was moved Gokudera heard bones break, maybe shatter, and a childish grunt that would have sounded so much more familiar if it was a man's vocal chords making it, not an eight-year old kid's.

The skylark watched with a keen eye as Gokudera Hayato, the Smokin' Bomb, tenth generation storm guardian of Vongola, right-hand man to Vongola Decimo, fierce Gokudera, turned to look at the broken arm of Yamamoto Takeshi and nearly start to weep. Tears pooled in his eyes and an image of chocolate brown orbs doing the same filled Hibari's mind. The boy didn't let his tears out, biting his lip instead, forcing the cloud guardian to recognize his eerie resemblance to Tsuna in that moment. Thank goodness it went away quick as he gave a stormy look to the rain that had begun to laugh weakly.

"You're a fucking idiot, Baseball freak!" Hayato yelled so loudly into Yamamoto's ear that even Ryohei winced a bit at the volume, quite a huge accomplishment considering. Although his ears were still ringing from the shout he was too relieved to give much attention to the idea of premature hearing loss. His beloved was fine and that's all that matters to him. What Hayato would call a stupid grin spread across his face form the concern the other male was expressing for him. He couldn't help himself anymore and his one good arm circled around the storm guardian's waist, pulling him close enough so Yamamoto could have his silver-head tucked under his chin. "…Baka."

After Gokudera spoke that one word he realized he'd been speaking in Japanese, a language the mini-guardians hadn't known, but a few words in. Fortunately the adults were panicked by what they saw and their language skills were so good that their brains translated it without tem noticing. At least it was like that for everyone except Lampo, he never felt it important to learn a second language to perfection. Alaude and Daemon surely would have noticed also if they were there. The two of them hadn't come running when they heard the children scream or they weren't close enough to hear. It didn't matter which it was, just them not being there was the important part. Now though it was of critical importance that they convince Primo and his guardians that Hibari hand' meant to hurt him or Yamamoto.

Giotto's golden eyes were full of worry and disappointment as he cast them on Hibari. What could have happened for a kid to behave like this? He was sure whatever messed with the ten-year-old's head happened before he came to them. It had to be horrible for him to be able to become this twisted. When they got this black-haired beauty of a child he was violent to only a certain degree. No one ever witnessed him injuring a fellow youngster like an adult, he only gave them scarps and bruises, but lately his behavior has escalated. Raping Tsuna and giving 'a friend' an injury, which could be permanent, was not Hibari's style at all.

The thought that worried them all was the possibility the skylark's recent behavior wasn't really recent. What if he treated the other children like this right from the start, but they just never noticed. It was a horrifying thought, Tsuna being repeatedly violated over and over, unable to reach out a hand for help in fear of what Hibari would do to him if he spoke up. Why didn't they realize when the signs were so obvious? The way he'd suddenly started to drift away from the other boy, slowly, but surely. He would even attempt not to be left alone with Hibari.

Lampo also told everyone that Tsuna had been coming to his room nightly. Why hadn't Giotto's thunder guardian told him that before? If he had, this problem would have been fixed long ago. The Vongola boss couldn't' every well blame Lampo though. No one else saw the signs either. They knew Tsuna, knew what he was like, a warm hearted kid, so when he began to act strange shouldn't' people have realized? The answer hit him like a brick slamming into him several times over. No, barely anyone could have figured out something bad was happening to him.

The brunette, Giotto acknowledged, was the charge they knew the least about. For once in his mafia career it wasn't because of lack of background information either. Ryohei would have won that hands down since all they knew about him was that he might be related to Knuckles.

Everyone in the world got to enjoy a unique personality, different likes and dislikes among other things. He and his guardians could correctly guess what the children would do in certain situations; even Tsuna's actions and words were predictable. Except his seemed artificial, as if everything he did was carefully calculated to please someone else. There weren't hints at things he really disliked either, besides tattoos, he liked anything someone gave him. Food was eaten silently without complaint even when the other kids were arguing about eating their vegetables.

Tsuna was virtually a robot, his one and only task to please and please whoever was around him. Giotto's hear clenched at the thought of how he'd ended up like this. He must really believe the real him was worthless if he wanted to hide himself so well. Hibari and the brunette's father were placed with the blame in Giotto's eyes. The boy's father started it all, but the other boy finished the task for him. Tsuna had been so lively after he got used to the mansion and the people within. Though he and his guardians buried in work day after day they should have spent more time with their children, since after keeping them so long that's who they were. Once this mess was cleaned up Giotto would try to play with them more, the new edition to the family included. It was a nice thought, but the situation before him now needed to be take care of first.

* * *

><p>The tenth generation Vongola guardians, minus Hibari and Lampo, sat side by side squished together on a couch meant to fit four in an exquisitely decorated living room not suited to fit their tense mood. Earlier they'd realized quickly that Tsuna, who they sworn had gasped, wasn't conscious any longer when Gokudera rushed over to check on him. The storm guardian moved over to him fast, but once he stopped moving all he saw was the Decimo's closed eyes before he fell. Gokudera's cry of pain from landing on what he now knew were two cracked ribs started a chain reaction.<p>

Hibari's tonfas were swiftly snatched by a handcuff wielding Alaude, who used those handcuffs to kidnap escort the skylark from the room. Giotto asked Knuckle to heal their wounds up and ordered Lampo to stay, telling him to help the sun guardian. All the other adults chased after Alaude, leaving them behind to wonder what inhuman punishment they went to save the other child from. Knuckle wanted to know too it seemed, or thought they might need his help to stop Vongola's strongest guardian, since he patched Yamamoto and Gokudera up with quick and practiced ease.

Mukuro admitted then that sun flames were quite useful. After doing that Knuckle picked Lambo up from the cradle he was bawling in and handed him over to Lampo with the request that he take the kids elsewhere. Lambo shut right up when he exchanged hands and Gokudera detected the mischievous glint in the brat's baby eyes easily. Whatever he was going to do Lampo wouldn't' like, he was sure of that. And he was right. A moment passed as Knuckle remained where he stood, then in curiosity he took Lambo into his arms.

The merciless crying began again and the deal was sealed. Knuckle gave the small bundle back to Lampo declaring him a new father before rushing off. There Lambo stayed until now because every time the first generation thunder guardian attempted to put him down his cry nearly took the foundation of the mansion out.

So far Lampo hadn't said anything, only holding a victorious baby up in the air by his arms in obvious distain. The kids were afraid to talk for fear of adding words in their sentences that their child-self didn't know. Gokudera was the only one who could speak without hesitation. The silver-haired boy could be classified as a genius and the first generation knew that, a few new words here and there wouldn't pipe their interest. Plus the storm guardian's speech outside of work was pretty basic, using intelligent language was a bother when it wasn't required of him. The notable difference in him would be his new maturity and his lack of swear words. Both were changes for the better so it would be ignored.

Gokudera was still debating whether he should speak when Lampo lowered his arms to set the cow in his lap. Sharp, observant eyes, which were so unusual for the thunder guardian, stared at them and Chrome shivered. Normally she stood just as tall and strong as the other guardians when faced with confrontation, but her poker face was never as good as theirs. Even Lambo perfected his before she could. At the time of her 'death' or whatever it was considered, she'd nearly had it down pat, but this warranted a chill slithering up her spine.

In Chrome's time with the Vongola she encountered a few descriptions of Primo's youngest guardian, the first being during their trials given to them by their predecessors and the others during unmemorable incidents. All of them used the terms lazy and coward each in a different context. Though now, as she stared into the electrifying eyes and saw the terrifying beast within she could not and would not label him a coward. Lazy stayed since she'd been here a while and knew just how sloth like the teenager could be.

What felt strange to the female mist guardian was that after living with Lampo for so long, why now did he finally show them this side of himself? Chrome could only come up with one plausible purpose and it didn't brood well for any of them. Her swift assumption became a reality with Lampo's next words, directed at all the children, including the baby in his arms. "Who are you?" It wasn't spoken like he was scared, but like he was resolved to do something depending on their answer or if they gave one.

Normal children would be confused or give a sarcastic response, but the seconds ticked by and they lost their window of opportunity. Now any type of reply they gave that shrugged the comment off would sound supious. Their only chance was to pretend they actually contemplated what he asked seriously and give a childish response. Maybe Gokudera could start going on and on about the composition of the human body and they'd be in the clear. It was a good enough idea and after years of working together their minds had been molded to think similar to each other in these circumstances, so Gokudera should know what to do. Chrome watched the storm open his mouth to speak, but someone else was a step ahead of him.

Leave it to the cow brat to mess everything up. In the deepest voice he could get in an infant body Lambo spoke, planning to scare the first generation thunder out of his wits. "I'm your father." Truth be told it wasn't that intimidating, but when you don't' expect it anything can make you jump, including a squeaky baby voice.

And jump is exactly what Lampo did. The teenager got his butt a good two inches off the couch screeching, "Did he just talk?!" Hiding behind the couch came naturally to him, just as throwing his hands up in the air did. While doing so he accidently released the precious bundle of life in his arms and Lambo sailed through the air.

Being who he was the infant couldn't even shut up while his life was in danger. "This is still considered child abuse whether I'm my original age or not!" His scream of outrage echoed of the walls as Lampo watched his flight across the room. Nearly all the other guardians stared too, except for Ryohei who, God bless him, wasn't as easily frozen by his thoughts as everyone else, though that may be a result of him not having many well-formed thoughts to freeze. Lambo would keep that idea to himself because really, after Ryohei saved his ass just now he owed him that much. He wondered if he should retract that courtesy when, once he landed in the sun guardians embrace he was quickly transferred to being held by one of his arms.

Yamamoto didn't plan to interfere in Lambo's recuse because he knew that when Ryohei realized something happened quickly enough he had the best reaction time out of all the people at Vongola. Hibari did rival him at times, but since the boxer noticed early he was sure that if Hibari had been here to help, Ryohei would have beaten him hands down. A little while after Lambo was saved he heard the tell-tale sign of Gokudera taking in a deep breath and almost instantly Yamamoto heard him release his breath in the form of a shout.

"Lawn-head! You can't hold a baby like that!"

Chrome gasped at the sight of poor Lambo whose shoulder could dislocate at any time and bounced up onto her feet. She saw a flash of white go by her and was surprised to see Lampo snatching their young thunder guardian from Ryohei and rocking him gently. "This is how you're supposed to do it." The slow back and forth motion continued while the children stared, mouth appendages, at the scene. At least it did until the green-haired teen realized what he was doing and he shoved the baby into their comrade's ready appendages.

"This job has forced me to babysit before!" His tone was so defense that Mukuro gave a short cackle along with Gokudera's laughter, Yamamoto cracked a smile, and Chrome's eye sparkled with hidden giggles, and left Ryohei scratching his head in bemusement while Lambo kicked his feet in his arms.

Lampo stared himself, feeling a sort of familiarity at the picture they made standing there in honest humor. It tugged at his heart strings as he figured out why the image was so enticingly nostalgic. This is what Vongola was like for the guardians before the mafia truly took over their lives. The beginning, when their only job was to protect, the time which they could go out on a mission and be back the very same night to hang out in their close-knit group.

A world of opportunities and happiness, where Giotto wasn't over-run with paperwork and no one traveled so far that they couldn't be reached in an hours ride. It was before this mansion was created and they started to become a highly ranked Mafia famiglia. Power changes people and the type of individuals they need to fight alongside them. It was when he wasn't worried about being replaced for someone stronger.

"So, who are you really?" The first thunder guardian of Vongola gave them the look that belied his usual cowardly actions again and it sobered the guardians up. Hearing a gurgling sound the teen turned to look at the infant in Ryohei's arms, "And don't you dare cry." For once Lambo followed an order that didn't come from his nii-chan and kept any tears he'd been about to release in. "I want a straight answer; don't think you can fool me either. All the things I have seen happen around you guys is downright strange." Then he sat down on the couch with an air of finality, waiting for their reply.

An uneasy silence settled over the room, the tenth generation wondering what strange things he was talking about. Lampo was the most unobservant of the first Vongola group so they must have been every apparent incidents. The only reason the teenager was the one to find out was, depending on the way you thought about it, good timing. Gokudera decided it was bad timing for them and tried to come up with a solution to their problem. The topic that came the quickest to him easily slipped out of his mouth. "We are UMA that have been put here on earth to observe human interactions."

A silence almost has horrible as the first ensued and Gokudera received a look from Lampo which he never thought he'd have to endure from such an idiotic overgrown look-alike Lambo cow. His expression offended him greatly. The other's weren't looking at him in admiring wonder either. Yamamoto was one of the biggest idiots he had ever met at middle school age (he couldn't very well insult his lover when he was actually being tactful) and even he knew better than to show him any other expression besides a big dumb smile in these types of situations.

Lambo, who still remained in Ryohei's embrace, witnessing Stupidera's humiliation had thoughts in rapid succession and put his rare ideas to work.

"Hey."

Lampo whirled around to look at him, mouth agape in shock and took several steps back. It appeared that he was just remembering the surprising display from earlier and this second occurrence overwhelmed his brain. Luckily there were several kids able to catch him as he fell in an almost faint. A faint would have kept him down, but his eyes only rolled into the back of his head in terror for a minute or two.

When the green-haired teen snapped back to reality he attempted to stand only to fall down again while no one bothered to help him. The fear he showed of Lambo in previous moments was in a downward spin and anger was his primary emotion. Anger at being scared of something he had no reason to be afraid of.

A baby couldn't do anything to him besides the shock Lambo inflicted at defying the laws of nature. "I'm not as stupid as you seem to think! Now, tell me who you brats really are or you'll see sparks really fly." Lampo's words induced a tiny light show when he raised his hand as he spoke and let out a few small sizzling bits of lighting.

Standing, Primo's guardian raised his hand threateningly to get them to squeal, but froze as he felt an evil presence behind him. His instincts told him not to move and later he would realize just how lucky he'd been by escaping this brush with death. One bad decision and Lampo would have found himself six feet under earlier than he expected. Though no one involved with the mafia expected a very long lifespan. The children's eyes were trained on the person behind him and they looked tense themselves. "They're from the future, like me, and you are not allowed to hurt them."

The implied threat had Lampo lowering his hand, but only slightly. After all he knew if there was a chance of him frying the kids in retaliation to an attack then he would be safe. A voice rang in his head over and over, whispering future while he tried to decide if that was true or not. Coming to the conclusion that it didn't matter if they were really from the future or not he shook his head. "What you said isn't an answer to my question. I don't' care where they come from, the information I want is who they are and why are they here."

The murderous intent behind Lampo increased and yet the answer came out smooth and easy. Either a practiced lie or the truth came out of the other male's mouth. "They are the Vongola's tenth generation guardians."

**Ok, now here is what charm13insomnia requested, a short explanation of if Reborn kept his curls or not.**

Reborn punched in the code to the underground base impatiently, mad at the reminder that he was small coming from there being two security input stations so he could get in on his own. Jumping up each time got tiresome after a while. When the doors opened with a swish Uni was right there waiting for him with a worried expression on her face. Reborn bypassed her with a stony one on his. The information that had fallen into his lap needed to be given to Shoichi and Spanner now, before it was too late to find a way to fight against the force that was Ernesto.

Pushing the doors to their office open the Archobaleno jumped onto Shoichi's desk, usurping the papers there. Startled by his sudden appearance, the red-head held his chest to keep his heart in place. His other hand was palm up on the desk and Reborn shoved his ear piece with the broken invisibility chip in it. Inside the ear piece was the video taken by a tiny camera he had clamped onto his shirt collar. It would show what took place in the Vongola mansion.

Understanding what Reborn wanted, Shoichi picked up his laptop and put it on the desk. Plugging the memory drive in, he waved Spanner over so he could watch too.

A few minutes later, after they'd witnessed Ernesto's miraculously recovery and the camera being turned off by a pissed off baby the screen went black. Shoichi, once again not putting much thought into his words, spoke slowly with an almost hidden note of an 'I-told-you-so' tone. "He probably wouldn't have recognized you if you'd kept your sideburns off. It even took you longer to get there since we had to modify the hologram."

Spanner took one long suck of his lollipop before taking hold of the bottom of his chair and kicking his feet forward so his chair rolled back towards his own desk. Last time he stuck around after his partner said something stupid he'd gotten dragged into the ensuing violence, leaving his hand covered in a bandage. So on this occasion he just turned his back and continued on with his work, listening to Shoichi cries for help until he cranked on some music to drown the noise out so he could work in peace.

**I hope this suffices since there no way for me to incorpuate this into the chapter.**


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